Pysanka eggs (Ukrainian Easter egg)

Being of both Polish and Hungarian decent I grew up with many of these beautiful eggs being displayed in my grandparents’ houses around the holidays. My Hungarian grandmother would make simple designed eggs around Easter to be displayed with Easter dinner.

The eggs are made by using a wax-resist method. The egg is dipped into a color then a tool called a kistka, which is a stylus of sorts that holds melted wax, is applied to the areas where you want the color to stay. Any bit of shell covered with wax would be sealed and remain that color. Then the egg is dipped into another color, and more wax applied. After the final color the wax was removed by heating the egg in the stove and gently wiping off the melted wax, or by briefly dipping the egg into boiling water.

Keeping this craft going brings me a sense of joy and connection to my heritage. I love sharing my finished eggs with others. I have even taught my son how to make Pysanka, hoping one day he will pass it on to his family.

Contributed by: Andi Phillips
Created by: Andi Phillips
Origin: Bella Vista, AR