Ukrainian Easter Egg Have you ever heard about Ukrainian Easter eggs? It’s a very old and beautiful tradition! As you may know, there are many techniques for making Easter eggs and many traditions in different countries. The Ukrainian Easter egg has an ancient and rich history. We call it “Pysanka.” The first decorated eggs were found by archaeologists in the pagan period. People have always seen the egg as a symbol of life and the Holy Spirit. During the Christian period, Ukrainian Easter eggs varied greatly, as Ukraine has 25 regions, each with its own ornaments. In general, people believed that every ornamental element had a special meaning. For example, drops represented rain (or, in later periods, the Virgin Mary’s tears). There are many plant-based and geometric ornaments as well. We use hot wax and liquid dyes to create our Easter eggs. In ancient times, people used natural dyes—for example, brown color was made from onion skin peel. The more colors a Pysanka has, the more layers of wax you need to apply. In the final step, you remove all the wax layers and witness a little magic! Every Pysanka is a small piece of art. There is an ancient legend that says: "The world will exist as long as people continue to make Pysanka." We are very proud to be part of this tradition and to keep it alive. Olena is a student in the Intermediate High/ Advanced ESL class in the afternoon
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