Pysanky!

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easter eggs, pysanka, pysanky, spring, Spring equinox, Ukrainian easter eggs, Ukrainian Museum of Canada

I LOVE decorating Easter eggs.  Even though I don’t have kids, I do it every year.

Last year, I took a pysanky workshop at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, and quickly fell in love with this folk art.  I hadn’t made a Ukrainian Easter egg since I was in grade school, but the memory of it came rushing back.  I love the smell of the melting beeswax, and the careful concentration it requires.  It’s totally zen.  A small meditation.

Apparently, the tradition pre-dates Christianity.  It’s an age-old tradition to decorate eggs for the Spring Equinox.  Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved decorating Easter eggs.  Turns out, it’s not just for kids after all.

Happy Easter

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Easter, easter eggs, Holidays, love, pysanka, Traditions, Ukrainian easter eggs

For I remember it is Easter morn

And life and love and peace are all new born

-Alice Freeman Palmer

You Say PysANka, I say PYsanka

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crafts, Easter, easter eggs, pre-Christian, psyanky, pysanka, symbols, Ukrainian Museum of Canada

I really enjoyed my pysanka workshop last Saturday at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada.  We started with a quick lesson on the pronunciation of pysanka (the stress is on the first syllable, not the middle), followed by a short film that outlined the general process.  I was surprised (and pleased) to learn that the craft of pysanka pre-dates Christianity by a few thousand years.  These are ancient symbols, folks.  Powerful stuff. 

Besides spending a peaceful hour and a half crafting away, preparing for Easter, it also inspired me to learn more about my Ukrainian heritage.  I always say that I’m only Ukrainian in name – I know nothing else about my culture. I don’t speak it, sing it, dance it, or cook it.  I’m good at eating Ukrainian food, but that’s about all I got.  I think my egg turned out pretty nicely.  Not bad for my first attempt in 25 years. 

Related articles

• Egg Magic and Folklore (thewiccangecko.wordpress.com)
• My Little Easter Egger (dreambles.wordpress.com)

My Little Easter Egger

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Ameracauna, crafts, easter eggs, pysanka, Ukrainian easter eggs

I love Easter – chocolate, bunnies, green grass, pretty pastel-coloured eggs – what’s not to love? Despite being 34 years old, I still enjoy dying and decorating Easter eggs (I’m a kid at heart and always will be).

One of my lovely backyard chickens, Liesl, is an Ameracauna, and she has the “blue egg” gene.  She lays a beautiful, pale green egg.  (I’ve had her since last June, and I still marvel at the miracle of her perfect eggs – every single time!  It’s amazing!) 

Liesl's perfect green egg

I’m taking a pysanka workshop this weekend – Ukrainian Easter eggs.  I’m looking forward to doing something crafty.  It’s been years since I made a Ukrainian Easter egg.  Any tips or secrets I should know?

Image via Wikipedia