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Probably, every person at least once in his life tried to make an Easter egg with his own hands. Someone simply dipped the eggs in the paint, or stuck stickers, while someone had the drive and patience to create a real masterpiece - paint with a pen. We want to talk about writing Easter eggs, types of painted eggs, the symbolism of their colors and ornaments.
The article was prepared by specialists of etnoxata.com.ua especially for VSVITA. ETHNOHATA - an online supermarket of Ukrainian goods. The purpose of the brand is to successfully combine Ukrainian traditions and modernity.
Preparation for writing
Traditionally, Easter eggs were made only by women in Ukraine (now they are engaged in this regardless of gender). To make an Easter egg, you will need a pen, paints, an egg, wax (preferably beeswax), a candle and dishes for diluting the paint. If you plan to make an Easter egg in a light color, you should choose eggs with a white shell. Easter eggs are usually written on blown eggs (the latter can be kept for a long time as an element of decor).
If you want to make an Easter egg from a blown egg, you should check its strength (hold it up to the light and check for cracks) and freshness (the shell is not shiny and rough to the touch, like chalk). Traditionally, Easter eggs are created by layering colors: wax is applied to the places that should remain white, and dipped in yellow paint (for light Easter eggs) or paint of a different color (for dark or bright Easter eggs). If you want to achieve darker or more saturated colors, you need to keep the egg in the paint longer (for light ones, it is enough to keep it in the container with paint for 10 seconds). When the Easter eggs are ready, you need to wipe off the wax and cover with varnish (if desired).
Types of painted eggs
There are four main types: krapanka, drapanka, krashanka and pysanka. Each type has its own characteristics and manufacturing rules.
Krashanka This is the easiest way to make dyed eggs. Previously, for their preparation, housewives collected onion husks and boiled eggs in it (sometimes parsley leaves or small currant leaves were tied to the egg for decoration, which left white imprints of leaves on the finished egg). Decoctions of herbs and tree barks were also used as dyes.
An interesting subspecies of eggs is the "marble" technique - pieces of dry paint, pieces of colorful paper or fabric are randomly attached to the egg, wrapped in cloth, tied with thread and boiled in boiling water. The finished Easter egg had a rather interesting color somewhat similar to marble.
Krapanka Drops of wax are applied to the egg with a pen and dipped in light paint, then dots are placed again and dipped in darker paint. When there are specks of all the desired colors on the dot, the general background is covered with dark paint (most often dark cherry, dark green or black). After that, the wax is melted over the candle and the egg is carefully wiped from the remaining wax with a soft cloth.
scratcher If you don't have a pen at hand, you can experiment with scratches. Take a dark colored egg and dip it in dark paint. As the egg dries, apply an ornament with a pencil and scratch it with a needle (an awl or a nail - what is in the household).
Easter Egg. This is the most difficult version of colored eggs to make, because it requires skill, patience and time. First, the main ornaments are drawn with a pencil, then wax is applied with a pen along these lines, after that the egg is dipped in paint, the wax is melted, removed and, if desired, the ornaments are painted in other colors (you can also leave them white).
Paints for Easter eggs
Once upon a time, craftswomen made paints for Easter eggs with their own hands. For example, yellow paint was obtained from the bark of a wild apple tree, which was boiled and infused. A decoction of buckwheat straw also gave a yellow color (a decoction of chaff is brown in color). The green color was obtained from hemp seed chaff, and the black color was obtained from sunflower husks and oak nuts. Brownish color was given by onion husks, infusion of oak bark and alder bark. To obtain a red color, St. John's wort was infused (later this color was extracted from sandalwood chips brought from Brazil by Ukrainian emigrants). Alum was added to natural dyes (for better coloring): aluminum made colors brighter, and iron gave darker colors. To dilute the paint, water was used, which was drawn from three sources at dawn and to which holy water was also added.
Easter eggs colors and their meanings
In pysankarstvo 7 main colors were most often used (red, yellow, orange, green, cherry, brown, black), but other colors are also possible (depending on the region, the color range of Easter eggs expanded).
Red. Symbolizes goodness, joy of life, for young people - a happy marriage. According to church tradition, a red egg is a symbol of Resurrection, sacrifice, and heavenly fire.
Yellow. A symbol of the celestial body (the sun), heat and harvest (the color of ripe grain). Eggs of this color protected against evil forces and evil. Yellow was also the color of wealth.
Green. The color of spring, the resurrection of nature, hope and life. Symbolized the awakening of nature from a long winter sleep.
Brown, brown. Symbolizes the earth and its hidden life-giving force.
Black. The color of the night, of everything unknown and secret. Usually used as a background, it emphasizes the strength of other colors. It symbolizes the infinity of human life, existence after death.
White. The color of purity, a symbol of heaven (paradise). The white symbols on the Easter egg symbolized a sinless life.
Blue. He personified the sky, air, water, purity and health. On Easter eggs, he symbolized satiety and heavenly divinity.
Signs and ornaments on Easter eggs
The sun
It was depicted on Easter eggs in the form of a circle, an eight-pointed star (which was also called a gun, there were simple, side, full and end guns), a cross, a tripod (an image of three rays emanating from one point and twisted in one direction, it was also called trigver, triquart), svastis (svarga, swastika).
Cross
An ancient symbol of the sun, fire, soul. It is considered a "sign of God". The cross is the intersection of two lines: eternity (vertical) and time (horizontal). It is a symbol of existence and non-existence, beginning and end. In Christianity, he personifies the suffering and joy of the Resurrection, atonement for sins.
Zorya, Rose
This symbol was depicted in the form of a five-six-seven-, eight-pointed star. Hexagonal - a sign of the six sides of the horizon correlated with the sky, as well as a sign of the year: two halves of six months each. The octagonal star contains an oblique cross, a straight cross, as well as left and right swastika. It is considered a symbol of love (an Easter egg with a gun as a gift was considered a declaration of feelings).
Flowers
In the Ukrainian tradition, this symbol is associated with children. Therefore, women who could not get pregnant for a long time were advised to write Easter cards with flowers and give them to their children.
Pine branch
Green trees, branches and leaves are a symbol of life, spring renewal after winter sleep, eternal youth, health and growth.
Curl, Snake, Spiral
These are symbols of vitality and the birth of life. Easter eggs with these ornaments were given for good health.
S-shaped sign of eternity
A sign of the union of opposites. It symbolizes the sign of unity (the beginning and the crown of completion) in the struggle of heat and cold, day and night, light and darkness, man and woman
Infinity (curve)
Symbolizes water, its fluidity. Also, water is the embodiment of the life-giving female principle, the source of the forces of nature. In Christianity, water symbolizes purification (baptism). On Easter cards, in addition to curves and infinity, it was depicted with zigzags and wavy patterns.
40 nails (48 nails)
Symbolizes ordering, stopping before a test, fertility. There can be more than 40 triangular wedges on an Easter egg (some have more than 60). The number 40 is symbolic in human life: 40 weeks a woman carries a child, in Christianity: 40 days of Great Lent, 40 years of wandering in search of the Promised Land.
Tree of life
Symbolizes the universe, in which every creature has its own place, where every phenomenon is subject to rules. This image combines ideas about time, space, life and death. The world tree can be divided into several parts: the crown (heavenly world, birds, bees and heavenly bodies are traditionally depicted here: the sun, stars, moon), trunk (earthly world: large animals, as well as people), roots (underworld and water: snakes, frogs, fish, waterfowl are depicted here). On Easter cards, it is depicted in the form of a vase with a flowered tree, symbolizing the genus, family (father, mother and children).
Rakes, combs, triangles with combs
They are also symbols of water, representing clouds and rain. Pysankas with rakes were written during a drought in order to cause the desired rains, which were supposed to bring a good harvest.
Duck's feet, God's hand, glove, grandfather's fingers
Similar symbols personified power, patronage, integrity.
Svarga
Symbolizes the sun. There are two types of ornament: the right side symbolizes the sunrise, good, the awakening of nature in the spring, positive male energy, and the left side represents the sunset, destruction, degradation, evil, negative female energy. Svargu was also the personification of character, longevity, fertility, health and life. On Easter eggs, it was depicted in the form of a broken or crocheted cross (in some regions, this ornament was also called leeches, rooster combs, duck necks).
Vine
According to the Christian tradition, it is a symbol of spiritual rebirth and an ancient symbol of the family.
Oak leaf
Symbolizes strength, longevity, patience. In combination with acorns, it is a symbol of spiritual and physical maturity.
Baranets
A symbol of humility, innocence, boundless love, fertility. On Easter eggs, the "lamb's horns" ornament represents young shoots of plants.
Bird
The bird symbolizes the human soul (according to beliefs, the soul flies to a newborn baby and flies to heaven when a person dies). She is a guide between heaven and earth, a protector from evil, a symbol of love, fidelity and harmony.
Cock
A symbol of the light that overcame darkness (Christ), the harbinger of the day and the guardian of good against evil.
Fish
Represents water, life and health, as well as new baptism.
Horse
A symbol of the ceaseless movement of the sun, the male basis in nature. According to the Christian tradition, he personified a fearless herald of faith, who flies into the world, ready to die.
Deer
He is considered the guardian of the truth, the guide of the souls of the dead. According to ancient beliefs, the deer brought the sun to the sky on its horns. This ornament was most often found on pysankas of Hutsul Region and Bukovyna.
The author of etnoxata.com.ua specially for VSVITA
