Description. Easter eggs are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter The oldest tradition, which continues to be used in Central and Eastern Europe, is to dye and paint chicken eggs. The dyeing of Easter eggs in different colours is commonplace, with colour being achieved through boiling the egg in natural substances (such as, onion peel, oak or alder bark or walnut nutshell, beet juice, etc.), or using artificial colourings. A modern custom in some places is to substitute chocolate eggs wrapped in coloured foil, hand-carved wooden eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as chocolate.