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Directions:Easter to Ukrainians is synonymous with the pysanka, the beautifully and artistically decorated Easter egg. The word pysanka is derived from the word pysaty which means "to write". Pysanky is the plural form. Another type of egg, krashanky, is popular at Easter. These are hard-cooked, solid-coloured eggs that are also blessed in the Easter basket and are the first food eaten to break the fast. Krashanka (singular) is derived from the word krasha which means "to colour".
According to legends, this krashanka was supposed to remove sickness by transference. In serious illness, an egg, blessed on Easter Eve, was hung around the neck upon a string, and the disease in due course passed into it. A krashanka could also be used to stop blood-poisoning if the patient was touched with the egg. Pysanky are not eaten, but are given as gifts, exchanged with friends or used as decorations.
There are many legends about the pysanky . The Hutzul legend states that the fate of the world depends upon pysanky, since there is a big monster chained to a huge cliff, who will come loose and destroy the world when the writing of pysanky ceases. Each year the monster 's servants encircle the world, keeping a record of the number of pysanky made. When there are few, the monster's chains loosen and evil flows through the world; when there are many, the monster's chains hold taut, allowing love to conquer evil. Another legend states that a Cyrenian peddler, who was on his way to the market to sell a basket of eggs, came upon an angry crowd mocking a man who staggered beneath the weight of a heavy cross on which he was to be crucified. The peddler, taking pity on him, left his basket by the roadside and ran to his assistance . Upon his return, he found his entire basket of eggs transformed into the most beautiful pysanky. The man was Christ and the peddler was Simon.
In early times, eggs were rare because birds and poultry laid only a few eggs to reproduce. Thus, it was fitting that eggs were the symbol of life and were used in religious rituals in the spring ceremonies of welcoming spring back after the long winter. Dyed in symbolic colours and covered with appropriate symbols, eggs possessed magical powers and thus they were used to encourage growth, health, prosperity, love, beauty and many virtues. They were part of the bloodless sacrifice to the sun god, Atar, and were part of the cult of the dead, appeasing them and asking their protection. They were used in homes to ward off bad forces such as disease, lightning, fire and were used in stables and fields to bring on fertility, health and abundance to animals and crops.
Writing of pysanky was a ritual itself. It always began with the sign of the cross and a prayer . Only women and girls wrote pysanky and it is estimated that a family needed approximately sixty pysanky for all rites and customs. Women wrote them in the evening when children were asleep. The candle provided the heat for melting the beeswax and it was lit with the fire from last year's blessed loza (pussy willow twigs) . The dyes were obtained from plants and the binder for the dyes and the gloss applied to the finished eggs were obtained from six first laid eggs of young hens which were cracked against a budding tree at sunrise on Monday of the Holy Week. Red dye came from logwood; yellow from apple tree bark, mistletoe leaves, aspen or dried flowers of the woadwax ; green from sprouting rye or wheat; violet from sunflower seeds, elderberry fruit and bark; and black from old walnuts or an oak barrel. The onion peel was almost universal for obtaining shades from yellow , to red and brown. The colours had special meanings that varied from one region of Ukraine to another. For example, red meant life, health and beauty ; green symbolized bountifulness, hope and victory; yellow was the colour of light, purity and goodness; orange symbolized endurance and strength; brown represented the earth and its abundance ; black symbolized remembrance and white represented purity and innocence.
The motifs were originally pagan religious symbols. Many of their meanings have been lost. Other symbols have taken on Christian meaning, when Ukraine accepted Christianity in 988 A.D. These motifs are generally classified into three categories: geometric, plant and animal. Geometric motifs are the oldest and most widely used and include triangles, ribbons, stars, crosses and circles. Plant motifs may be the whole plant or a part in stylized form. Deer,horses, fish, birds and butterflies are popular in animal motifs. Ram's horns and bird's feet were also popular.
Pysanky are written using batikowa (batik or resist method) in which the design is written with hot wax and then the egg is dipped in colour. The egg goes through a series of progressively darker dye baths. Between each dye bath, more of the design is drawn on the dyed egg and the wax covered parts of the egg "resist" the colour of the succeeding dye baths. At the end of the process, the wax is removed to reveal a beautiful pysanka.
Materials:
Eggs - select clean, white, unblemished eggs that have a hard, symmetrical shell. Fresh farm eggs that have not been washed are preferred. If the eggs require some washing, use a vinegar solution (two tablespoons of vinegar to one liter of water) to gently wash ...do not rub. Pat dry with a clean cloth. Eggs should be at room temperature before they are used. Traditionally only raw eggs are used, since boiling them tends to remove the natural oils from the shell and the dyes do not take as well.
Kistka - the writing instrument used to apply the beeswax to the eggs. It is constructed by attaching a small metal cone of brass to a stick . These can be purchased ready made with opening of various sizes; small for drawing fine lines in detailed motifs and larger for filling in areas.
Beeswax - the unique characterist ics of beeswax make it ideal for writing pysanky. Paraffin wax cannot be substituted. The dyes used will not penetrate or cling to areas which were covered with beeswax . Care must be taken, as beeswax is flammable and does adhere to the skin.
Dyes - these are chemical dyes and the colours are much richer and inedible. Prepare the dyes well in advance of their use and store them in clean, wide-mouthed jars which have tightly fitting lids. To start, only four basic colours are required...yellow , orange, bright red and black. Other colours such as green, blue, turquoise and brown are available, if desired. Sometimes food colouring or a felt tipped pen may be used for some portions of the design, if only a small amount of colouring is required. These dyes should be used at room temperature . A hot solution will melt the beeswax design. Dipping the egg in a solution of plain vinegar for one minute before dyeing makes the shell more porous and more receptive to the dye solution.
Candles or small alcohol lamp - which are used to heat the kistka. Be sure the candle is securely mounted in a sturdy candle holder.
Spoons - used to place and remove the eggs from the dyes. Use one for each colour.
Paper towels and soft cloth - paper towels are used to dry the eggs after they are taken from the dye and a soft cloth is used to wipe the egg when the beeswax is removed.
Pencil - a fine pencil is used to outline the patterns before the wax application. Do not erase these lines, as the dyes will not adhere to the erased areas.
Razor blade - these are handy to scrape off wax if an error is made.
Toothpicks - can be used to add some amounts of colours, such as green or blue to tiny areas.
Vinegar - is used in cleaning the eggs and can be used to strengthen the dyes.
Method:
Before beginning, be sure your hands are clean and free of hand lotion. Rest the egg on the table top on a clean paper towel, or hold the egg in a tissue. Prior to the first outline being made on the egg, it was the custom for women to make the sign of the cross and whisper "God help me".
Use a pencil to divide the egg into two, four or more parts to make its decoration easier. An expert would make these lines with beeswax. The tip of the kistka is heated in the candle flame and then pressed into the beeswax. It is held at right angles to the egg, as the egg is rotated, as quickly as possible, to get a smooth even line. The process of heating the kistka and pressing it into the wax is repeated several times as the wax cools or is used up. All portions covered with the wax will remain white.
Any blue or purple should be applied now and then covered with beeswax. The pysanka is now dipped into the lightest dye bath - usually yellow. The eggs should be left only long enough to absorb the colour. If left too long, the dyes will seep into the egg shell and under the wax, thus ruining the egg design.
Pat the egg dry with paper towelling. Now cover all lines or portions of the design that are to remain yellow with wax. If the egg has any green, it is applied at this time in the same manner as the blue or purple. This same procedure is repeated using orange, then red and finally black. Sometimes brown or maroon are used as background colours.
The next step is to remove the wax.The egg should be allowed to dry for at least fifteen minutes. There are three ways to remove the wax from the egg.
- Move the egg through the side of the candle flame,until the wax begins to shine. This softened wax can be removed with a clean soft cloth. Repeat the process working in small areas, until all the wax is removed. Do not hold the egg in the top of the flame, as the soot will collect on the egg and ruin the design .
- Another method, especially for a large number of eggs, is to place the eggs on a soft cloth on a tray and place it in a preheated oven (200°F) for about twenty minutes. As the wax softens, the eggs are removed one by one and the wax is wiped off.
- The third method is to melt about one cup of clean shortening or lard in a small dry saucepan on low heat. Carefully lower the egg on a large spoon into the warm fat. Gently turn the egg until the wax is just beginning to come off .When all the wax is softened, remove the egg and wipe it clean.
The final step is to give the pysanka a hard glossy finish. In older times, the yolk of the first egg of a young hen was used. Today, a quick drying or spray varnish or clear gloss liquid plastic such as Varathane is used. Dip a finger into the Varathane and spread a fine layer over the entire egg. The egg is allowed to dry on an egg rack which is made by pounding nails through a board.The egg rests on the points of the nails. If more sheen is desired, more coats of the glaze may be applied. The contents of the egg will eventually dry out. The egg should be kept in a well-ventilated cool place, to prevent cracking or exploding. These should be rotated occasionally, so that they will dry out evenly . Today, the contents of the egg may be blown out or carefully removed with a syringe.
Since the end of the nineteenth century, writing of pysanky has achieved great artistry and it can take fifteen minutes to several hours to produce a beautiful pysanka. Ukrainians in Canada have become unsurpassed masters in the art of egg writing. The gift of an Easter pysanka is something to be treasured and loved.
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This recipe for PYSANKY (Easter Eggs) is from