Ukranian Pysanky Eggs

One of the few connections I have to my distant Ukranian heritage is the Pysanky Egg at Easter. What is a Pysanky Egg? From The Ukranian Museum (NYC) website:

Easter egg, pysanka, decorating is one of the most interesting expressions of Ukrainian folk art. This tradition is very old and its beginnings reach back to antiquity, when in attempting to understand creation, ancient people developed myths in which the egg was perceived as the source of life, the sun and the universe. Although such similar myths are found in many cultures of the word, Ukrainians today are one of the few groups of people who still strongly adhere to many of the ancient traditions associated with the egg.

The Ukrainian pysanka (from the word pysaty, to write) was believed to possess an enormous power not only in the egg itself, which harbored the nucleus of life, but also in the symbolic designs and colors which were drawn upon the egg in a specific manner, according to prescribed rituals. The intricately colored eggs were used for various social and religious occasions and were considered to be a talisman, a protector against evil, as well as harbingers of good.

Sometime back in the 1970s my mom and my sister Vicki became interested in these intricate and fragile traditional Ukranian crafts, and purchased the dyes and the "kistka" (stylus) for applying the beeswax, plus a how-to book with pictures and traditional patterns. With a bit of trial-and-error, eventually all of us tried our hand at these, but they are a very laborious undertaking and can be destroyed in a moment of carelessness. Vicki and Mom became quite adept at creating Pysanky eggs and made many beautiful examples. Over time, some have broken, some have burst (the egg yolk and white are still inside the eggs and over many years eventually dry up into a ball inside the shell) but a good number have survived. They are like many things in life, beautiful and fragile.


Supplies and tools for making these can be found HERE.


More HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Happy Easter, everyone!