Easter eggs died red using a marine plant

Dyeing eggs for Easter was always done in the traditional way by all the households in Rizokarpaso. In order to dye the eggs with red colour, the people were using a 'vafí tou yalou'. This dye was a type of marine plant (which used to grow in certain places, mainly on the northern rocky coast of Rizokarpaso). The daring ones, just 5-6 persons, would go into the sea at this time of the year to locate and collect this dye. When in the sea, it had a grey colour and those collecting it, in order to make sure it was the correct plant, they would pick it up and rub it against their hand to see if it would turn red. It usually grew under malla and a specific spot, that was kept secret and only the "experts" knew about, was a pond on Lefkonisso. The dyeing process is the same as the one we follow today using other plants/roots.