Pysanky
THE ART OF UKRAINIAN EASTER EGG PAINTING
If you visited the Ukraine around Easter and someone gave you a pysanka, or painted Easter egg, you would be receiving not only a unique work of art but a token of friendship, an ancient protective talisman, and a symbol of rebirth and creation. That’s pretty heavy stuff for one small, painted egg! How did the egg became an important element in pagan and Christian belief systems? The traditions of creating pysansky with beeswax and homemade dyes date back to 1,300 BCE and possibly to the Trypilljan culture in Ukraine from 3,000 BCE. In Ukrainian folklore, pysanky placed in the home brought good fortune and health, along with protection from natural catastrophes. Although many of the ancient designs have blended with Christian symbology, the most popular Easter egg designs remain geometric abstractions of circles, crosses, stars, dots, wheat, fir trees, horses, deer, bears, and other animals. If the design is relatively simple, the process of applying the design using a wax stylus and dipping the egg in a variety of dyes may take only two to three hours.
Hand-painted Ukrainian pysanky are symbols of fertility and friendship.
In pagan rituals, the egg represented the rebirth of nature after winter (spring) and the promise of a fruitful harvest. With the acceptance of Christianity in 988 CE, the pysanka has been part of the Christian Easter traditions in Ukraine by symbolizing the Resurrection (or rebirth) of Jesus Christ, and continues to be a popular gift at Easter. —SBR
WHERE IN THE WORLD?
Vegreville, a small farming community in Canada, holds the title of largest Canadian Ukrainian settlement and World’s Largest Pysanky. Created in 1976, the polychromed metal egg turns in the wind much like a weathervane. It would take 10 adults holding hands to circle once around the egg!