GAMES The egg's fragility probably accounts for its popularity in games down through the centuries.

EGG HUNT Hiding colored or decorated eggs around the house or garden for youngsters to find has long been an Easter morning tradition.

EGG TOSS Whenever groups gather for picnic games, an egg toss is as predictable as a sack race. Partners line up in two rows facing each other. Every member on one side tosses a raw egg across. After each successful catch, the players step backward, adding to the difficulty of the next catch. This is repeated until all but one egg is broken. The couple with the last unbroken egg wins.

EGG ROLLING Many variations of egg rolling contests and games can be played. The egg rolling that takes place on the lawn of the White House or Capitol building has become an American tradition started, according to legend, by Dolly Madison in the early 1800's. Similar events are held in many other locations throughout the country.

The United States, however, can hardly take credit for inventing the custom - egg rolling was mentioned in a Latin treatise in 1684. In England and Scotland, children roll eggs downhill and the last child with an unbroken egg is the winner. In another version of egg rolling, the players push the egg to the finish line using only their noses. Very similar are egg races in which the players try to send emptied eggshells across the finish line by fanning them with a piece of cardboard or by blowing them. Since eggs are not round, winning is not as easy as it might seem!

EGG TAPPING Many countries continue the age-old ritual of egg-tapping or egg-shackling. For example, Greeks form a circle and tap scarlet eggs, one against the other. The one finishing with an unbroken egg may claim all the other eggs. (The trick is protecting as much of the egg as possible with your fingers.)

PACE EGGING In English villages until modern times, children have carried on an old sport called pace-egging. The name comes from Pasch, the word that means Easter in most European countries. This derives from Pesach, the Hebrew Passover, which falls at the same time of the year. Pace-eggers are much like Halloween trick-or-treaters. They go from house to house in costume or with paper streamers and bright ribbons attached to their clothes. Faces blackened or masked, they sing or perform skits and demand paceeggs, either colored hard-cooked eggs or substitutes such as candy and small coins. —see Decorating Eggs, Easter Eggs