Why do people color Easter eggs?

Eggs are a very old symbol of new life and springtime, and eggs have been connected to Easter for many centuries. People starting giving eggs as gifts for Easter because eggs used to be forbidden during Lent (the 40 days of fasting before Easter). To dress up the gift, people decorated the eggs. Painting eggs in bright colors represented spring. In Greece, people paint eggs crimson red in honor of the blood of Christ. In parts of Germany and Austria, people prefer eggs painted green. Slavic peoples decorate eggs with gold and silver. Armenians decorate hollow eggs with Christian images.