0
Ancient people worshipped the sun, which warmed the earth and was the source of all life. In winter, earth was dormant and appeared to be without life. Likewise a whole egg appears to be lifeless. In spring the earth renewed herself, and new life sprang from the egg. Thus the egg is a perfect symbol of the sudden burst of life from dormancy. Ancient Ukrainians believed that eggs had special powers. Eggs were decorated with symbols that had magical and protective powers; these powers were thus transfered to the egg, which was used for talismanic purposes. When Christianity came to Ukraine (Kyivan Rus), the egg was incorporated into Easter celebrations. Easter is the culmination of the Christian year, and celebrates the victory of life over death. The pysanka, which had been created in ancient times during spring festivities celebrating the rebirth of nature, was an ideal symbol for then new Christian Easter holiday. Pysanky created for Easter had many purposes. The original purposes were protective and magical. Pysanky were left in a bowl in the house to protect it from evil. They were placed in the stables and beehives to not simply protect the beasts of the household, but to insure their future fertility. Pysanky were hung in fruit trees to assure a plentiful harvest, and farmers buried eggs in their fields to assure a bountiful harvest. Pysanky were also given as gifts to friends and family: children received light, colorful pysanky with floral designs, while teenagers received eggs with lots of white, indicating that their future was a blank page. Married couples received 40 triangle eggs, which represent power in all facets of life, while older people received black eggs with ladders and gates, representing the ascent to heaven. Making pysanky was not a social event, but an important religious ritual. The women of the family would gather on the given day, say a few prayers, and work together to produce a family's pysanky. Men rarely participated (it was unheard of), and this ritual was performed in near silence at the end of a day sanctified by refraining from gossip, argument, or sin. The pysanka maker prayed that the recipient of her eggs would be endowed with joy, good fortune, happiness, and protection from harm. In the mid-19th century traditions began to change as the world grew more modern. Pysanky were less and less considered magical objects, and more and more considered mere objects of art. They began to be sold, and used mainly as pretty decorations. The knowledge of the meaning of their symbols began to be forgotten. And rather than being made and given away during the great spring holiday (velykden), they began to be given away year round.
Still curious? Ask our experts.
Chat with our AI personalities
Rafa
Ezra
Steve
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What are pysanky eggs used for?
Almost all bird eggs are suitable for pysanky. Non-white eggs, such as Rhea or Emu, require special techniques, but can still be used for pysanky. Chicken, Duck and Goose eggs are most commmonly used. They require no special preparation, only simple cleaning to remove dirt. Ostrich eggs have a heavy glossy outer coat with amny irregularities. They are usually sanded to a smooth finish before using. Rhea and Emu shells come in shades of dark green to light green. The light green shades can be dyed without removing the outer shell. To use the dark green shells one would have to remove the top layer by etching or sanding. Finch eggshells can be used, but they are fragile to the touch. Pigeon eggs tend to be oily and do not dye well. Parakeet shells are the best if you want to make tiny pysanky.
What is the best way to display pysanky?
There are many ways to display pysanky, but you should never to display them in direct sunlight. Aniline dyes will fade when placed in prolonged sunlight, making your pysanka dull and drab. (It's probably a good idea to keep the eggs out of any strong direct light to avoid fading.) Also, if the pysanka hasn't been emptied, the heat from the sun or other light source could cause the gases within it to expand and the egg to explode. Pysanky are small works of art, and should be treated as such. They may be displayed in baskets or bowls, in individual egg holders, hung from a stand, or placed in specially made display cabinets. If you have many pysanky to display and not enough room, then a riser might be useful.
What colors would you use on a pysanka?
As with symbols, colors have true symbolism only in traditional Ukrainian folk pysanky, those designs created over the centuries and used for talismanic purposes. Modern pysanky, their colors and symbols, have only the meanings that we personally assign to them. Symbols and colors have to be considered within the whole of the design of the egg, not as individual components. Different localities may have assigned them different meanings--this should be taken into consideration as well. That being said, some generally accepted meanings for the colors used on pysanky are given below. ColorsYellow: Light, wisdom, spirituality, recognition and reward. Green: Spring, hope, growth, victory of life over death, bountifulness. Orange: Endurance, strength, attraction, everlasting sun. Red: Divine love and passion of Christ, spiritual awakening, happiness in life. Blue: Good health, trust. Pink: Success. Black: Death, remembrance, absolute constancy, fear of ignorance. White: Purity Brown: The earth Purple: Patience and trust
What supplies are needed for pysanky?
Minimally you need an egg, a writing tool (stylus or pysachok), a heat source (candle), beeswax and pysanka/aniline dyes. For more detailed information see the link below.
Who sells the largest selection of Pysanky dyes?
Any acid aniline-type dye can be used to dye pysanky. You can buy acid dyes meant to dye wools and silks from many distributors on line. Some carry large numbers of different dyes. Dharma and Jacquard sell 52 and 40 colors each; other suppliers may have even more. Several individuals and small pysanka supply companies have blended colors and repackaged the dyes into small packets, with just enough of the powdered dye to make about 1.5 cups of liquid dye. They include: Pysanky Showcase sells about 40 colors of dyes. The Ukrainian Gift Shop sells 17. Egg-cessories and Surma each sell 13. Wax Art Supply sells 31. Quite frankly, there are more colors out there than any one individual can really use!
