Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Pysanky Eggs

A pysanka, or Pysanky Egg, is a Ukrainian Easter Egg decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs.

The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, “to write”, as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

Ukrainians have been decorating eggs, creating these miniature jewels, for countless generations.

There is a ritualistic element involved, magical thinking, a calling out to the gods and goddesses for health, fertility, love, and wealth.

The pysanky was believed to possess an enormous power not only in the egg itself, which harbored the nucleus of life, but also in the symbolic designs and colors which were drawn upon the egg in a specific manner.

The symbolic ornamentation of the pysanky consists of geometric motifs, with some animal and plant elements.

The intricately colored eggs were used for various social and religious occasions and were considered to be a talisman, a protector against evil, as well as harbingers of good.

This magical craft has brought the world another dimension of beauty, creativity, and fine art.