Decorating eggs an old Ukraine art

Nowhere is the tradition of decorating eggs more closely allied to the mysteries of life than in the Ukraine, where the craft has been known since 3,000 B.C. and is called pysanky.

Pysanky is done with a special tool called a kistka, beeswax and dyes. The eggs are not cooked, nor are their contents blown out. You take a raw white egg – brown eggs also may be used – heat the kistka in a candle flame, dip the hot tip in beeswax and with the melted wax, draw designs directly on the egg. You dip the egg in dye, do more drawing, dip in another dye, and so on.

Lesia Sochor of Brooks learned the art – and the lore, legends, rituals and spiritual practice associated with pysanky – from her Ukrainian mother. At a recent workshop at the Temple for the Feminine Divine in Bangor, Sochor taught a group of women and one girl the intricacies of the craft. That the group was composed of females was within bounds of tradition because it was only women, working alone or in groups, at night by firelight, who decorated eggs.

“The ancients,” Sochor said, “believed in the egg as a talisman that was comparable to religious belief. Eggs were placed in thatched roofs as protection from fire and in beehives to ensure an abundant supply of honey.”

Pysanky uses a trinity of symbolism – the egg, the designs placed on it and colors of the dyes. The egg symbolizes the Earth – which, egg-like, is composed of an outer shell, a layer of fluid called magma and a central core.

Traditional design symbols include the diamond, circle and triangle, which are the most ancient symbols; deer, horses and rams; birds, flowers and trees; and star and sun motifs. Each symbol has its own meaning. For example, animal motifs mean wealth and prosperity, diamonds mean knowledge, and birds symbolize fertility. Egg symbolism has been linked to the Trypilljan culture, which flourished in the Ukraine 6,000 years ago.

Colors have symbolic meaning, too. Red means spiritual awakening, green means freedom from bondage and yellow means light and purity.

Christianity came to the Ukraine circa 988 A.D., and crosses and other Christian symbolism became part of the pysanky tradition.

“I stopped doing pysanky for a long time after I was grown up,” Sochor said, “but when I had children, I started doing it again and taught them how.”

After the eggs are decorated and dipped in a series of special dyes – not the kind that comes in Easter egg decorating kits found at supermarkets – the wax is removed, revealing its final intricate design.

“Evil,” Sochor said, reciting a story associated with making pysanky, one she heard from her mother, “is like a monster chained to a cliff. When women make pysanky eggs, the monster’s chains are firm. When women do not make eggs, the chains break and the monster breaks loose.” She paused to let the story resonate. Then she said, “Keep making eggs.”

Go to www.pysankyshowcase.com to find information and links about decorating eggs. To learn more about the Temple of the Feminine Divine and upcoming craft classes, call 941-0261.

Snippets

Hearts, Hands and Hats will sponsor a knitting and spinning session to create chemo caps from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at Cityside Yarn Co., 81 Main St., in Bangor. Patterns, yarn and fiber are provided. Bring your spinning wheel and knitting needles. Various sizes of 16-inch circular and double-pointed needles are recommended. The chemo caps are donated to local hospitals and cancer clinics.

Hampden Adult Education is offering a seven-week course in rug braiding from 6:30-9 p.m. beginning Tuesday, April 15, at Reeds Brook School. To obtain information, call 862-6422.