Pysanky decorated prior to Easter carry powerful symbolism for Ukrainians. Photo:Ann Syvan/Ukraine.ua
Myroslava Lemko
In Ukraine, Easter was celebrated for three days, with many hours spent in church as well as with family and friends. During this time there were various songs and dances known as the haivky and many games played by the children. Most often the games required a boiled coloured egg known as a krashanka from the word “kraska”, meaning “color”. A game called line rolling required two groups of children to stand in two parallel lines and roll the eggs back and forth between partners. The pair with the last remaining un-cracked egg would win all of the eggs that had cracked. Older children would do the airborne variation of the parallel line game. The eggs would be thrown between the teenagers in the lines. Again, the team with the last un-cracked egg would be the winner. There was also another game called chockamia. In this game, children would tap each other’s eggs together until one of the eggs cracked. The winner, whose egg did not crack, got to keep the cracked egg. While krashanky were often used for games, the more intricately decorated pysanky remained on the table.
The Easter eggs carry powerful symbolism for Ukrainians. It is said that the shell of the egg represents the tomb, the burial linens are represented by the egg white, while the yolk is the Son of God, who raised from the dead and thereby conquered death! It is not surprising, that the highly decorated pysanky are also inscribed with various symbols. The various colours used carry different meanings and wishes for the future. For example: white is a symbol of purity, yellow represents wisdom and recognition, orange is for strength and endurance, red is for hope and passion, blue is for wishes of good health and brown in for happiness. Easter eggs are also powerfully charged in traditional Ukrainian folk stories and legends.
It is said that in the Ukraine many years ago, people who wanted to discover the fate of deceased relatives would place a black pysanka on the grave and cover it with some dirt. The next morning, if the egg was disturbed in any way, it was believed that the soul of the deceased was in need of additional prayer. If the egg was still in place and unmarked in the morning, it was believed that the soul of the departed had already entered into heaven.
One of the most popular; and oldest, pysanky legends tells a story of a young woman carrying a jug of fresh water and a basket of eggs. On her way she met a stranger sitting on a rock. Thinking he must be a tired traveler, she offered him a drink of her water. When he handed the water back to her, she was surprised to see that he had wounds on his hands. The stranger got up and walked in the opposite direction of the young woman. When she arrived home, she uncovered her basket and discovered that the eggs had been turned into beautiful pysanky. The stranger, of course, had been Jesus Christ, and that was the first Easter morning.
A different pysanky story tied to Holy Week tells that after Jesus was arrested, His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, prepared a basket of eggs to present to Pilate. She hoped to present them and ask for mercy for her Son’s life. As she prepared the eggs, her tears fell on them, forming designs of many colors. When Mary went before Pilate, she fell to the floor in grief and the eggs rolled out of the basket and across the floor. The eggs continued to roll until they were found by people all around the world.
Perhaps one of the most repeated pysanky stories tells of the journey of Mary Magdalene and her companions on the morning after the Sabbath. The women were on their way to Christ’s tomb to anoint His body with sweet spices. They had taken along a basket of hard boiled eggs to eat after their work was completed. But when they got to the tomb, the stone was moved aside. They set down their basket and spices and went inside, only to find the tomb was empty. When they joyfully left the burial place, having discovered that Christ had risen, they found that the eggs in their basket had been changed into many bright and beautiful colors.
We wish that the many colours of the krashanky and pysanky bring the power of love, peace and harmony to everyone celebrating Easter.
