As Christians all over the world get ready for Easter, RT has looked into various ways of decorating the holiday’s symbol – colored eggs.

Despite sticking to different calendars, this year Western and Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on the same day. This happens quite rarely – a few times each century.

However, there are still many regional variations. One concerns eggs, the main symbol of Easter. While Western Christians prefer chocolate ones, Russians boast a whole range of different egg choices.

Tatyana Smirnova took up decorating Easter eggs two years ago. However, instead of real eggs, she uses specially made wooden blanks – to make them outlive the festive dinner.

“Decorating Easter eggs is part of our religion. And I always try to create something original, not just copy the existing designs,” Tatyana told RT. “For example, I take glass beads, glue them on and then paint the egg too.”

A decorated egg makes a perfect gift for one of the most joyful celebrations in the Russian Orthodox calendar.

“As a symbol of life, an egg goes back to pagan traditions. But it’s also part of Christianity, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection. So when decorating them, the artists use the themes of spring, joy, beauty and rebirth,” said Anna Yakovleva, from the House of Icons museum.

The egg-giving tradition became especially popular in Russia in the late 19th century. Easter eggs were made to fit any taste and pocket. Needless to say, the Tsars did it in the most extravagant way – with Faberge eggs.

The first one was a gift from Emperor Alexander III to his wife, the Empress Maria, in 1885.

Read more about Alexander III and Empress Maria on Russiapedia

Created by jeweler Carl Faberge, the eggs became the delight of Russian royalty. While in Soviet times dozens were sold off abroad, the Kremlin Armory Museum still offers a glimpse of the Tsars’ treasure.

“Over 30 years, 50 Imperial Easter Eggs were made. In Russia, we have 10. All eggs are different from each other. One of them has a train inside – a copy of the Trans-Siberian Express. And it can move too! Another is a clock, with the lilies and roses symbolizing the love of Tsar Nicholas II for his wife,” Tatyana Muntiyan, from the Moscow Kremlin Museum, told RT.

Read more about Nicholas II on Russiapedia

Faberge took the Easter tradition to a whole new level, but nowadays there are also ways to impress with an egg, if not equally precious, then at least as big – thanks to ostriches!

An African ostrich in the Russian snow is hardly something you would expect to see. Still, the Russian Ostrich company has been breeding these birds for the past ten years and has even come up with a special festive offer: an Easter egg that weights about 2 kilos.

“We just use the shell for decorating, so it won’t go bad. Such Easter eggs are a big hit. Some are custom-made for our clients, others are bought by tourists,” Vera Rodnina from the Russian Ostrich company told RT.

Steep prices – about 170 dollars for an egg – do not stop those who are after a bit of Easter exotica. The eggs are snapped up like hot cakes.

Yet most Russians still go for the do-it-yourself way of dying real eggs with onion peel. The recipe is very easy: boil the onion peel for about half an hour, let it cool down, add the eggs, boil for 10 more minutes and it’s done!

“We grew up in the Soviet Union and yet we’ve always celebrated Easter and decorated eggs,” Maria Podryabinnikova told RT. “For me it’s about doing it for your loved ones. You can eat an egg at any time. But when you have guests for Easter and offer these eggs to someone or receive them as a gift, it gives you so much joy!”