Pysanky {Ukrainian Easter Eggs}

The art of pysanky, the beautifully decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs, dates back to pagan times. Folk tales reveal that people who lived in the region now known as Ukraine worshipped the sun. It warmed the earth and therefore was a source of all life. Eggs decorated with symbols of nature were chosen for sun worship ceremonies and became integral to spring rituals as benevolent talismans.

The word pysanka is derived from the Ukrainian verb pysaty 'to write.’ Pysanka is an egg which has been decorated with a wax-resist method where a person draws (or "writes," as Ukrainians would say) the design on the egg. 

ArtStreet is an innovative learning and living arts complex located in the South Student Neighborhood at the University of Dayton. ArtStreet offers creative programs and spaces for the entire UD and Dayton area communities to enjoy. Recently, Christina Pereyma and her daughter, Helen, offered a hands-on workshop on the art of pysanka. Helen is the 5th generation of pysanka artists in her family. 

A special tool called a kistka is used to melt the beeswax and write on the eggs. The kistka is the pen and the beeswax is the ink. Each successive color is waxed and dyed until the entire design is created on the surface of the egg. The wax is then removed, a protective finish applied and the contents emptied. The eggs are shared with others as an expression of friendship, good will and love. Each participant learned how to use a kistka by practicing on a piece of paper. Blobs form easily and if the beeswax blobs on your egg, that “design” will stay there. Once we felt comfortable with the kistka, we created our own eggs.

Christina brought some eggs that her 87-year old aunt decorated. They are exquisite works of art. Her aunt escaped from Ukraine and came to the United States when the Soviets invaded the country and consequently suppressed the traditional arts. Christina’s aunt is considered a living, national treasure of Ukraine because of her mastery of this art form.

Exquisite pysanky

My first-time attempt at pysanka

Among Ukrainians there is a belief that the fate of the world depends upon pysanky. As long as egg decorating continues, the world will exist. Should the custom cease, evil in the guise of an ancient, vicious monster chained to a huge cliff, will encompass the world and destroy it. Each year the monster's servants encircle the globe, keeping a record of the number of pysanky made. Should there be too few, the monster's chains loosen, and evil flows through the world. If there are many, the monster's chains hold taut, allowing love to conquer evil.