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.

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You Say PysANka, I say PYsanka

Tags

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. 

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