Luseland Library hosts Ukrainian Easter egg workshop
By Joan Janzen
LUSELAND—On Saturday afternoon, April 5th, the Luseland Library was preparing for the Easter holiday. Rena Pinceman from Smiley taught a group of ten crafters the art of creating Ukrainian Easter eggs or Pysanka. The interactive workshop was a hit!
Rena has 45 years of experience making the decorative eggs, as both her parents and grandparents are Ukrainian. "The eggs are only done at Easter and at Lent," she explained.
A closer look at the making of Ukrainian Easter eggs or Pysanka. PHOTOS SUBMITTED. Click for larger images.
She shared a bit of the art's history. Instead of the industrial dyes used today, dyes used to be made with berries, bark, onion skins, beets, and sunflower seeds.
The eggs symbolize rebirth and renewal, and every line has a meaning. For example, "checkerboard is a separation from evil, and wheat represents a bountiful harvest," Rena explained. The decorations were always related to what people were doing in their lives.
The colours are also symbolic. White represents purity, yellow light, orange endurance and strength, redaction and fire, and black eternity and constancy.
"Other cultures also do this art, and everyone has their own symbols," she said. "The ones I do are traditional symbols.”
"Eggs were always taken to church on Easter morning. They used to be given to kids as gifts, or given to young couples when they got married," she said.
Rena has given most of her creations away to family and friends. "They last forever, but you have to make sure you don't keep them in direct sunlight because they will fade.”
After a bit of practice, the class began to make their eggs. The class ran from noon until 4 p.m., which allowed enough time for each person to create one starter egg. Creating an egg with an intricate pattern can take up to 12 hours. Nevertheless, Rena said anyone can participate, and she's taught children as young as five years old. "It's not an expensive hobby," she added.
"You have to use raw farm eggs," she cautioned. "Most store eggs have been cleaned with industrial soaps that don't take dye well. First, you wash them in vinegar and water to get the shell ready." Using brown eggs might result in different colours.
Patterns are drawn on the eggs using melted beeswax, and a wire tool called a kistka. "Beeswax is the only wax you can use because it's water resistant," she said. "You'd be surprised; it's not as hard as you think to draw steady lines. As you add layers, they melt together to give you a finished product. It takes a little while to get your hand steady and work with a flame." However, she provided one caution: do not draw on the egg with a pencil before applying the wax.
Using a spoon, submerge the egg in the dye can for 2 to 5 minutes, beginning with the lightest colour. Next, you lift it out, dry it off and apply more wax design before immersing it in another colour of dye.
After the class had finished their eggs, there was one more step: blowing them out. Pin holes were made at both ends of the eggs, after which they used a needle to break up the contents of the eggs. "You have to blow quite hard, and slowly, everything comes out," Rena instructed her class.
As the afternoon drew to an end, the participants were happy to take home their completed Pysanka.