In the Ukraine, this folk art was practiced well before Christianity came to the region. Pysanky is a high specialized and stylized form of egg decorating with traditional symbols and colors. For centuries these eggs were thought to have supernatural powers, such as the belief that a person could be cured of blood poisoning by merely touching an egg. Many times these eggs were decorated with fertility symbols such as hens and roosters and given as gifts to women who wished to conceive. Baskets of decorated eggs were kept in the house as insurance against evil spirits.

When Christianity came to the Ukraine, designs on the eggs which had symbolized air, fire and water now turned into symbols of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. New meanings were blended with old so that today's designs can be seen as a mixture of pagan and Christian symbolism.

SOURCES: Eggs Beautiful; How to Make Ukrainian Easter Eggs   745.594 L
Easter Eggs by the dozens   745.594 H, p. 19.

Pysanky - Ukrainian Easter Eggs

UPDATED: 3/05/2001