Egg Day

Meaning and Symbolism

5th month of the year starts with a culinary Lanternfest, and this is no coincidence. Food Lanternfest is merely a prelude to what might be the most important holiday in the world of moles - Egg Day. Egg Day, as the name suggests, is all about eggs, the most sacred of foods. In mole culture, eggs are symbolic of many important aspects of their life.

Significance of eggs

First and foremost, eggs are a symbol of life. Moles themselves are not born but hatched from eggs that women and fairies lay, so the egg is seen as the source of life.
Secondly, eggs are an important source of protein in an otherwise limited mole diet. As such they have a very special place in the life and diet of moles.

Significance of peacocks

But eggs themselves aren’t the only important thing in this holiday. Eggs that are eaten in the mole world come from peacocks. Peacocks, adorned with their colorful lavish feathers, are closely connected to drag queens, who took them as their symbolic animal. Due to such similarities with drag queens, the scientific name for them is Drag Queen Chicken. Because of the connection with drag queens who enjoy a high status in the mole society, and them being the source of eggs, peacocks are considered a highly valued animal. Peacocks and their aesthetic are the signature of the egg day.

Duration and traditions

Despite its name, Egg Day is not limited to one day. This is a 3 week long celebration that begins with Lanternfest at the beginning of the month, and concludes with the Egg Day festival at the end of the 3rd week of the 5th month.

Food Lanternfest

Culinary Lanternfest at the beginning of the month revolves around all kinds of food, but it also pays special attention to eggs. On this festival you may find many food stands offering egg based foods, such as waffles, pancakes, crepes, as well as eggwhite snow and famous custard milkshake, traditionally drunk at this time. Lanterns at this festival are in the shape of colorful eggs, and the peacock motif is heavily present. All the food you eat here will be served with blue, green or purple colored napkins folded in the shape of peacocks, and toothpicks with paper peacock won’t be missing from anything people can think of sticking them in.

Egg month

However, Lanternfest is only the beginning and after it ends, the Egg Day spirit continues. At this time, people like to decorate their homes with colorful egg art that the whole family can have fun creating. These eggs can be made in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, from simple coloring pages for kids, to intricate wood carvings that are traditional in Fairy Gardens to colored or painted plastic eggs. Peacock imagery is very commonly seen on these eggs. People make these through the following weeks, with the intention to give all these trinkets to Glitter God and Satan as the Egg Day offering.

But as much as this holiday focuses on eggs, peacocks aren’t forgotten either. It is very common for craftier people to create their own 3D origami peacocks, and drag queens spend time making especially fabulous peacock inspired dresses that they will wear for the Egg Day celebration. This is pretty much how the days pass until Egg Day.

Egg Day celebrations

Egg Day celebration occurs on the 8th day of 3rd week in the 5th month, but people start preparing for it the day before. On this day, it’s a custom to paint peacock eggs, that will be eaten for the Egg Day breakfast the next morning. On that day, after breakfast, all the central town squares of every town from Ä+*4~ to T@Ö#Ä3 open up food stands with a variety of egg based dishes. Again you’ll find everything from eggwhite snow, to pancakes, to many baked goods. People soon start gathering at these town squares to try delicious food and not to miss the drag queen parade, where drag queens show off their new fancy peacock dresses. Apart from enjoying food and watching drag queens, people also like to participate in a tradition of making origami peacocks. They write a wish on the paper that they then fold into a peacock, and leave it at temples of Glitter God or Satan. They may or may not read your wish and grant it.

The Giant Egg

But the main event of this day is the frying of the giant egg. In this event, towns compete with each other who will make the largest fried egg, made of the most eggs. These eggs are obtained through donations from local peacock farms. The number of eggs often exceeds at least 100, and the current record holder is an egg made of 275 eggs. This was made in Fairy Gardens. When the giant egg is fried, it is served to people at the festival. Getting a piece of this giant fried egg is considered to bring good luck and prosperity, and if you and your partner are planning to have a kid of your own, you especially shouldn’t miss out on this - ating the festival egg will ensure that you’ll end up with the egg of your own very soon.

Egg Day offerings and the end of the holiday

Egg Day celebration ends with people gathering all the egg art they made throughout the month and giving it to the gods as an offering and a sign of gratitude for them saving them from sure death after the end of the old world, and giving them a new life in this new world. Many young couples also like to offer eggs in hope that in the next year, Glitter God will bless them with a little egg of their own. They usually do this throughout the Egg Day itself, or the next day.

After Egg Day, celebrations don’t stop quite yet though, as this is just in time for the next Lantenfest.