The egg as a symbol of new life goes back to primitive times and is found in all cultures and civilisations. Polynesian, Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Europeans of the Middle Ages, all considered the egg in the nature of the primordial beginning of life. In Greek mythology, the 'black-winged night' gave birth to an egg from which sprang eros, the source of life. The Romans considered red eggs symbols of prosperity and happiness. Roman historians relate traditions by which the birthdays of notable Romans were marked by fowls laying red eggs. A Phoenician myth has Aphrodite being born from an egg, and a similar Greek myth has Helen being born from an egg that fell from the moon.

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