Egg tossing or egg throwing is a

game A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

associated with

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...

. Various types of such games exist, common ones involve throwing an egg so that it lands on the ground without breaking. Such a contest may be known as an egg toss. The egg was a symbol of the rebirth of the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

Pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

celebrations of spring and was adopted by early

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

as a symbol of the rebirth of man at Easter.

History

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

there was an egg throwing festival held in the churches at Easter. The priest would give out one hard-boiled egg which was tossed around the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

of the church and the

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honora ...

who was holding the egg when the clock struck twelve would get to keep it. In one version of the game the idea is to toss an egg so it falls on the ground without breaking. This is possible on, for example, grassy

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artificia ...

.Venetia Newall (1971) ''An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study''
p. 335
/ref> In Germany, children invented a way to spin the egg during the toss so that it lands on its tip still spinning. Dutch children play a game called "egg sales" in which one child sells an egg to another. The new owner then throws the egg in the grass and if it does not break it must be returned to the seller.

Gameplay

Egg tossing is also known as a team competition with basically the following rules, although the exact details may vary. One member of a two-person team tosses an egg to another. If the egg does not break, they step apart and the toss is repeated. The contest continues until one egg is left unbroken. (A popular variation uses

water balloon A water balloon or water bomb is a balloon, often made of latex rubber, filled with water. Water balloons are used in a summer pastime of cooling off through water balloon fights. Water balloons are also popular for celebrations, including celebr ...

s.)

Records

On July 4, 2011, in

Grangeville, Idaho Grangeville is the largest city in and the county seat of Idaho County, Idaho, United States, in the north central part of the state. Its population was 3,141 at the 2010 census, down from 3,228 in 2000. Geography According to the United Sta ...

, the world record for the number of persons participating in an egg toss was set, with 2,130 persons participating. An egg throwing feat was recorded in the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'': on November 12, 1978, Johnny Dell Foley successfully tossed a fresh hen's egg for a distance of 323 ft 2in (98.51m) to a Keith Thomas at

Jewett, Texas Jewett is a city in Leon County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,167 at the 2010 census. It was laid out in 1871 by the International Railroad Company. Geography Jewett is located at (31.362119, –96.144630). According to the Unit ...

. The record was undefeated until at least 1999. Since 2000 the feat is no longer listed in the book. Since the world record in Egg Throwing has not been recorded in the ''

'' since 1999, the World Egg Throwing Federation, based in Swaton, England, now certifies official world records. The world record in Egg Throwing was held until May 19, 2013 by the Dutchmen Andries Smink and Hillebrand Visser with a certified distance of throw and catch of 69.5 meters (228.01837 ft) thrown on August 17, 2012. May 19, 2013 the Irish 'Wild' Willie O'Donevan and 'Big' Warren McElhone set a new world record at the Irish National Open of 71.2 meters. WETF World Records: * During the Dutch Open Egg Throwing championship, July 9, 2012, The Dutchmen Andries Smink (catcher) and Hillebrand Visser set an official WETF World Record at 61.50 meters * On August 7, 2012 Andries Smink and Hillebrand Visser broke their own WETF World record and set it 69.25 meters * A WETF World Record was set on May 19, 2013, during the Open Irish Eggthrowing at Ballinrobe, when "Wild" Willie O'Donovan (tosser) and Warren Mc Elhone (catcher) overcame a distance of 71.2 meters. * During the Dutch Open Eggthrowing Championships, July 13, 2013 the world record was taken back by the Dutch, Andries Smink and Allard Adema covered a distance of 73.77 meters. * A new official WETF World Record was set on May 23, 2014 by the brothers Andries and Bauke Jetze Smink, at 76.27 meters (250.22 ft). * The WETF World Record was taken from the Smink brothers during WETF World Championships 2017 on June 25 by the New Zealand team Robbie Hollander and Nick Hornstein with a distance of 81 meters (265.74 feet). * The Hollander/Hornstein world record was broken on March 11, 2018 by Ricki Paewai and Kris Richards with a throw and catch at 85.96 meters. The

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home ga ...

have hosted the annual National Egg Toss Championship since 2005. A

World Egg Throwing Federation The World Egg Throwing Federation is an organization that promotes the sport of egg throwing. It promotes a number of different variations of games including Russian egg roulette, throw and catch, static relay, target throwing and egg trebuchet ...

championship is held in Swaton, England each year on the last Sunday in June since 2006."The Rowntree's Randoms Egg Throwing Championships - Swaton 28 June"
'' BBC''-

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, June 2009

References

{{Eggs Easter egg Traditional Easter games Competitions

History

Gameplay

Records

See also

References