Ukrainian eggs - history

Well, one last post! 

Here is a bit about the history of Pysanky.

Pysanky probably dates back to ancient times, though there are no eggs to prove this, due to the fragile nature of eggshells.

The art may have been most developed in Ukraine, but many of the people groups in Eastern Europe have at one time or other practiced decorating eggs.

As in many ancient cultures, Ukrainians worshiped a sun god, as the sun was their source of life. Eggs, decorated with symbols of nature became a key part of this worship and a symbol of the rebirth of earth after winter. These eggs were believed to have special powers.

Pysanky were an important part of life in Ukraine.The exchanging of Pysanky was symbolically giving a gift of life. The art was handed down through the generations, from mother to daughter. 

Each color and symbol had a deep meaning, which were taught to each generation. Most eggs were very geometric, divided into equal squares, triangles or other shapes. Eight sided stars were often used, as they represented the sun. Sometimes the eggs' decorations would include an unending line, which, as legends claimed, would trap any evil spirit that entered the house!

When Christianity was introduced, eggs become the symbol of man's rebirth, as well as signifying the tomb Christ rose from. Interestingly, many of the symbols used for worship of the sun god survived, and were altered to represent Easter and the Resurrection.

In more modern days, the practice was carried to the Americas by Ukrainian emigrants. Near the same time, Pysanky (as a religious practice) was banished from Ukraine by the Soviet regime, museum collections were destroyed in war and the ancient art was nearly forgotten.   However, since Ukraine's independence in 1991, the art has been rediscovered and practiced once again.

Ukrainian eggs

My kind sister used her amazing photography skills,
(see her blog here for even more amazing photos)
to take pics of my eggs!

Here they all are:

~

Now separately, in order of creation:

 This was my first one...

...which after making, I startled my family greatly by skipping through the house exclaiming how well the kistky worked.

:P

 ~

Next, a bird on one side...

And a flower on the other.

And yes, the leaves are blue.

*sigh*

Still learning...

;)

~

Then I decided to make an untraditional egg.

Traditional eggs mostly have geometric patterns, very even and uniform.

Untraditional eggs are...

ungeometric.

:P

So I made a peacock, 

 with it's tail flowing almost all the way around the egg.

I like the effect..

~

Then we have a very traditional egg.

An eight pointed star, which symbolizes the sun.

Actually, I didn't know that until after I made the egg. 

:P

~

Lastly, my latest egg.

I liked the way this one turned out. 

By now most of the lines are looking fairly straight!

~

And here are the eggs all together.

Well, five is all the eggs I have made so far, but I'm pretty sure I will make some more when I get time.

Phew.

Quite a few photos.

 Of course, I had around 70 pics, just of the finished eggs to sort through. 

:P

I'll do one more post on Ukrainian egg/Pysanky history sometime soon!

Ukrainian eggs - wax & kistky

Now on to the actual process.

First you need eggs.

Blown.

That is the part I like least...

:P

Takes a long time. 

After you have an empty, clean, dry eggshell, you can really start.

I draw lines dividing my eggs into eights, usually, and work from that.

 

After you have a design you like sketched onto the egg, you use the kistka 

(which is heated over a candle)

to coat with wax any areas you want left white.

 

 I was thrilled with how well store bought kistky work compared to homemade.

They draw MUCH thinner, smoother lines, and almost never drip wax.

I got my kit here.

Kistky are hard to use in that you hold them differently than you hold pencils, since the tip is pointing downward, not straight.

After coating certain areas, you dip the egg into the lightest dye you are using.

In my case, this was yellow.

When your egg is blown, you have to continually press it down into the dye, otherwise it would bob to the top, and dye only the bottom bit of the egg.

Thus, my brightly colored fingers.

 (sorry, no photos...:P)

I was awfully worried my fingers would be black for the concert last week...

Thankfully the dye came off just in time. With much scrubbing.

Anyway.

Take the egg out of the dye when you like the color.

Keep in mind, that (at least in my case,) the dye is lighter after/if you pat it dry.

Pat the egg dry.

If you want.

You can also let it dry by itself, if you aren't in a rush.

I was.

;P

 

Then cover the areas you want yellow with wax.

Dip it into the next color.

Red.

  Leave it in until you like the shade of red.

I found that the order of colors is basically:

-Yellow

-Light Green

-Light Blue

-Turquoise

-Orange

-Pink

-Scarlet

-Red

-Brown

-Brick

-Dark Red

Then the final colors are:

Black, Purple, Royal Blue, and Dark Green.

Ok. Not so basic.

Continue covering areas with wax and dyeing until you are happy.

Then, the really fun part is taking an old rag and a hair drier and melting and wiping off all the wax!

My favorite part.

:)

I wasn't quite pleased with my first eggs, as I forgot the order the colors should go in.

I dipped one egg into green, and forgot the yellow.

Then I tried to dye yellow on top of the green.

:/

Thus I found that there really is a reason you have to dye in order of color.

:P

Next post I'll just show you some pics of the eggs themselves.

(sorry this took so long to post...)