Sure, it sounds a little messy, and it can be, but egg knocking is also a completely family-friendly game played at Easter in Louisiana.
Also known as egg tapping, egg boxing, or paquing after the French word for Easter, Paques, egg knocking is a competition in which two players line up and strike two hard-boiled (and dyed) eggs together, point to point. Whichever egg cracks first is out, and the winner moves on to the next opponent.
These egg battles have a long tradition among Louisiana families, though a story in Deep South magazine says the game has its origins in Europe, where the Greeks have a tradition of dueling eggs. That same article recounts a humorous story about two families in the small town of Ville Platte, Louisiana, who would compete each year, with one family arriving in flatbed trucks with a live band and the other arriving via schoolbus while chanting, "We will, we will Paques you" all the way.
Competitors have their time-tested methods to produce a winner, with one popular technique calling for eggs to be boiled points-down to ensure no air pockets. Others claim that boiling eggs in coffee grounds makes them stronger, according to Deep South magazine. And some folks got a little crazy and would even smash eggs side to side — which appears to break with tradition entirely.
Some towns even hold competitions. In Marksville, Louisiana, there is egg knocking on the courthouse square, while Cottonport, Louisiana, has an "Egg Pocking on the Bayou Easter Festival" on Easter Sunday that features a 5k road race, festival with vendors, and canoe races.
