The egg is a symbol of birth, the renewal of the earth and the awakening Spring after Winter's deep slumber. Evidence of decorated eggs can be seen as far back as Paleolithic  and Neolithc times. As Eastern Europeans converted to Christianity, their egg decorating traditions, rich in history and symbolism , were carried forward, but with the symbols that once represented the rebirth of the seasons transferred over to represent the rebirth of man. The wax relief method of decorating eggs can be seen throughout seveal eastern European nations, including the Lithuanians, the Polish, the Serbians and the Romanians ... but none are so well known as the Ukrainians and their Pysanka. 

 The pysanka was more than just an egg. To some it held the fate of the world.

"The Hutsuls--Ukrainians who live in the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine--believe that the fate of the world depends upon the pysanka. As long as the egg decorating custom continues, the world will exist. If, for any reason, this custom is abandoned, evil--in the shape of a horrible serpent who is forever chained to a cliff-- will overrun the world. Each year the serpent sends out his minions to see how many pysanky have been created. If the number is low the serpent's chains are loosened and he is free to wander the earth causing havoc and destruction. If, on the other hand, the number of pysanky has increased, the chains are tightened and good triumphs over evil for yet another year." -wikipedia

Pysanky were believed to hold powerful magic. It was feared that if a witch was to get a hold of one, she could use the shell to gather dew, which would then be used to dry up milk cows. She could also poke people with the shell and sicken them. No one was allowed to trample on a pysanka as it was believed that God would punish anyone who did with a variety of illnesses. It was common for girls to give their pysanky decorated with heart motifs to their beloved but if the egg held no design on the top or the bottom , he was in danger of balding early.

So how hard it is to create a pysanka? I am a crafter and I know the years it takes to hone your skills and create wondrous works. So, to truly make a work of art with the wax relief method, or to simply make  a  straight line from the top of the egg, all the way around that meets with the beginning of that line again, is a triumph. It takes years to create the wonders that you see but everyone starts somewhere and it is not expensive to buy a kit and try to just have fun !

Frankly, I tried to create something adorable to share but I am soooo out of practice I couldn't bear to do it.  That doesn't mean that you couldn't peek at a few examples  that I did years ago .

How are you decorating your Easter eggs this year? 

Happy Easter, Canada.

Photo credits: Flickr creative commons; Kevin Saff  and PugnoM