So I was looking for something interesting and Easterish to do for my diary today.. and discovered that the Ukrainians really take their egg dying seriously. I thought, perhaps, with the chaos the Ukraine is in at the moment, it would be good to stop a moment and learn about this egg dying tradition.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Ok, we do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
weck
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
broths
Sunday:
loggersbrat
According to Wikipedia, Krashanky are similar to the Easter eggs we're familiar with in the states. They are boiled eggs dyed with vegetable dyes to make them a single color. These eggs are blessed and then eaten on Easter.
Pysanky and Krapanky are both raw eggs decorated with hot wax.
Pysanky eggs are decorated with hot bees wax using a stylus or pin head. There are some pre-Christian examples of this style done on wood or stone instead of eggs. It represented the rebirth of the earth after winter and was used in spring-rituals usually associated with the sun God Dazhboh. Later, when Christianity entered the area, it was changed to mean the rebirth of Man and the tomb of Christ.
There are many superstitions and fold beliefs that surround Pysanky eggs. For example, a blessed Pysanky could be used to find demons hiding in your house. Witches were rumored to use Pysanky to curse people, and and it was considered bad luck to step on one. Elders were given very ornate eggs as they'd lived long lives while eggs given to youth had more white on them. And girls often gave their boyfriends Pysanky eggs, but they had to be careful to decorate the top and bottom of the egg or their beau could lose his hair!
Krapanky are made by dripping bees wax onto raw eggs, and have only dots as ornamentation. It's called a wax resist method.
There are several other types of decorated eggs in the Ukraine, including eggs that are painted, etched, have objects glued to them, dipped in bees wax which then has beads embedded in them and some even have small leaves attached.
I hope you learned something about the culture of the people currently under attack by Russia. And I hope the people of the Ukraine have managed to hold to their traditions and enjoy their beautiful eggs this season.
Do you have any particular egg dying traditions in your family or heritage?