Speaking of Easter paganism and egg magic... Yvanka Tchumak, in "The Ukrainian Easter Egg", spoke of the habit of Easter eggs in Ukraine, the "pyssanki", aka the "written-egg", and described how they actually reflect an older, "pagan" tradition belonging to the "archaic religions".
A rough translation of the passage I want to quote would be this:
Once, the writing of the pyssanka was a sacred ritual. It was done by the evening and by night, by the mother or by the oldest woman of the family. The pyssanka had to be made in a silence broken only by prayers, magical incantations and ancient songs of spring-time. These magical formulas gave to the pyssanka all the forces of good. Every pyssanka was written with symbolic signs fitting for its later use, gifting or offering. Numerous beliefs gave the pyssanka powers. When hanged around a sick person's neck it ensured their healing ; when buried in the first and last furrow it ensured an abundant harvest. A plate of pyssanki in the house kept the family in good health and protected against both fire and thunder. The practice was transmitted generation after generation, the symbols were copied out of specimen preserved from the years before, or were taught orally by the elders. Today these ancient customs perpetuate themselves within the Christian tradition.
