Ukrainian and other East European Easter Eggs

[Kazimiera]

A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

Many other eastern European ethnic groups decorate eggs using wax resist for Easter. These include the


Belarusians (пісанка, pisanka)
Bulgarians (писано яйце, pisano yaytse)
Croats (pisanica)
Czechs (kraslice)
Hungarians (hímestojás)
Lithuanians (margutis)
Poles (pisanka)
Romanians (ouă vopsite, incondeiate or impistrite)
Serbs (pisanica)
Slovaks (kraslica)
Slovenes (pisanica, pirhi or remenke)
Sorbs (jejka pisać)

[Swearengen]

Giant Pysanka in Canadian Ukrainian town

http://www.vegrevillechamber.com/images/PysankaStory/pysanka1.jpg

[Kazimiera]

Oh wow! That is awesome!

I also found pictures of some rather big ones.

http://www.europeanpublicaffairs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/pysanka-2.jpg

http://ukrainetrek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/pysanka-museum-kolomiya-ukraine-view-1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Pysanka_Kolomyia_03.jpg

[lI]

A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

Many other eastern European ethnic groups decorate eggs using wax resist for Easter. These include the


Belarusians (пісанка, pisanka)
Bulgarians (писано яйце, pisano yaytse)
Croats (pisanica)
Czechs (kraslice)
Hungarians (hímestojás)
Poles (pisanka)
Romanians (ouă vopsite, incondeiate or impistrite)
Serbs (pisanica)
Slovaks (kraslica)
Slovenes (pisanica, pirhi or remenke)
Sorbs (jejka pisać)
Lithuanians (margutis)

This seems to be a truly pan-Eastern-European tradition :) A few countries were left out in that list though:


Latvians (Lieldienu olas)
Estonians (munad lihavõtteks?)



A few more examples:
Latvia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Easter_eggs_-_straw_decoration.jpg

Lithuania
http://www.fotofabrikas.lt/blogas/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kiau%C5%A1ini%C5%B3-skutin%C4%97jimas.jpg
http://www.vstt.lt/VI/files/0.832462001333544477.jpg



But the most popular way of painting them in both Lithuania and Latvia is with herbs and onion shells:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z24mHdM4540/USn4irEy7KI/AAAAAAAAAL4/jKnTNgiRTWM/s640/P4240165.JPG
http://photo2.poga.lv/photos/0704/0408/xxacis/3102548140_b.jpg

[Gorštak]

When I was a kid I was happy when some Serb friends of my parents would give me those beautiful eggs for Easter .
We would play with those eggs, hit egg with egg, whose egg don't break he won.

[Kazimiera]

This seems to be a truly pan-Eastern-European tradition :) A few countries were left out in that list though:


Latvians (Lieldienu olas)
Estonians (munad lihavõtteks?)



A few more examples:
Latvia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Easter_eggs_-_straw_decoration.jpg

Lithuania
http://www.fotofabrikas.lt/blogas/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kiau%C5%A1ini%C5%B3-skutin%C4%97jimas.jpg
http://www.vstt.lt/VI/files/0.832462001333544477.jpg



But the most popular way of painting them in both Lithuania and Latvia is with herbs and onion shells:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z24mHdM4540/USn4irEy7KI/AAAAAAAAAL4/jKnTNgiRTWM/s640/P4240165.JPG
http://photo2.poga.lv/photos/0704/0408/xxacis/3102548140_b.jpg

These are lovely!

I do them with the onion peels and herbs every year. But this year I couldn't find any nice herbs, so I just made them with onion peels. I made some with marijuana leaves one year! I found a marijuana tree in my garden, probably kids throwing pips over the wall. The result was stunning! Some of the chlorophyll came off onto the leaf stain and made it green. I wish I took photos.

These were from this year.

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q526/katzentatzen79/Photo0195_zps1a8bb5c5.jpg

[Hercus Monte]

here's the one I made this year
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BG2sWtlCIAE3lYZ.jpg:large

[georgefra]

I think this is very interesting type of art :)

[Baldur]

we do the same in Sweden.

[Temujin]

we do the same in Sweden.

Could you find some pictures of painted easter eggs from Sweden, pls?

[Temujin]

Easter Eggs from Belarus.



http://s2.postimg.org/4jxqrcr61/image.jpg (http://postimage.org/)




http://s24.postimg.org/mjwls0j1x/3c77826630c5.jpg (http://postimage.org/)



http://s24.postimg.org/q0ynuzi45/6199270293b1.jpg (http://postimage.org/)



http://s24.postimg.org/91ppfq6wl/a12afc938b72.jpg (http://postimage.org/)



http://s24.postimg.org/dii2eel4l/b15d89556c80.jpg (http://postimage.org/)



http://s24.postimg.org/pmxbvdy0l/c1f44c35f143.jpg (http://postimage.org/)



http://s24.postimg.org/chhtpa451/c519ddce753d.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

[LouisFerdinand]

Hungarian Easter eggs
:bunny::bunny:
:happy easter::egg:egg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7tG9fZtxWM

[revealman]

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-41e66YkyK2g/VviPnGzNfHI/AAAAAAAAMZk/Xxi-bDsRs0ERZWLfetjZqCL19pbVuCykQ/s1600/Swastika%2BEggs.JPG

[LouisFerdinand]

Bulgarian Easter eggs
:easterbasket::paintegg2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELii8NtamQE

[LouisFerdinand]

Czech Republic Easter eggs
:egg:paintegg
:chicks::egg:egg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CLNPZ9clAQ

[LouisFerdinand]

Romanian Easter eggs
:paintegg:easterbunny:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU2UrZEvKLk

[LouisFerdinand]

Polish Easter eggs
:egg:paintegg2
:easterbunny2::egg:egg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx_IRfUZctw

[UkrainianGirl]

I used to decorate the eggs like that with my grandmother when I was little in Ukraine. Was so much fun. :)

[Anthropos]

Nice pics. But I'm now reminded of eggs painted with toxic ink from storebought pens that I can't stand. Some people from church always want to give those eggs to me and they are much offended if I say no, so I have to accept and then throw them in the trash.

I have also seen those more genuine ones though. What's that red coloring?

[LouisFerdinand]

Slovenian Easter eggs
:happy easter::umbrella::easterbunny:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTASjVhWzCY

[LouisFerdinand]

Lithuanian Easter eggs
:bird3::chicks:
:happy easter::chicks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znyBoHvXFMA

[Antimage]

Ho Ho Ho you called Hungary eastern european, where is Stears?

[LouisFerdinand]

What type of eggs are used in the Eastern European Easter eggs?
:easterbasket::easterbasket::easterbasket::easterb asket:

[Ülev]

Easter Egg on the street/promenade of Żary

https://s30.postimg.org/x2sf5di29/easter_Egg.jpg

[ЛыSSый]

hoholball

https://voskresenka.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/4.jpg

http://i1.biser.info/files/images/biser.info_77045_na-khohla-pohozh_1398016651.jpg

http://www.depo.ua/static/files/gallery_uploads/images/unian_121202.jpg

cz?

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HxDxdAzHIOI/hqdefault.jpg

[LouisFerdinand]

Hungarian Easter eggs
:easterbunny2::easterbunny2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMVqw7bMpkw

[wvwvw]

The tradition of painting hard-boiled eggs during springtime pre-dates Christianity. The egg is a symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. As Europe became Christian, eggs became a symbol of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. In the past, Christians gave up eggs for Lent (the 40 days before Easter when it’s customary to give up different types of food). But even though people didn’t eat them, the hens kept laying them! So people would hard boil and decorate them. This would help preserve them longer and serve as part of the holiday festivities.

In China, red eggs are given out at the one month birthday of a new baby. It’s customary to hold a Red Egg and Ginger Party at this time. Once again, the source seems to be the egg’s role as a symbol of fertility and the beginning of life.

[LouisFerdinand]

:bunny:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uxI7LgyM98

[LouisFerdinand]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5kpEVn8olA

[LouisFerdinand]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5AWJw3QPWo