A Nanaimo woman is waxing nostalgic about Ukrainian egg art in the lead-up to Easter.

Decorative Easter eggs, pysanky, from the Ukrainian word pysaty (to write), date back to ancient times, according to Jeanne Rudy, a Nanaimo resident of Ukrainian ancestry. She was making and selling eggs at the Ukrainian Easter Bazaar at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Nanaimo on Saturday, April 1.

sa国际传媒淭hey were around since pagan times because the egg was a very important symbol of the new season, new life, rebirth,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲hen the Ukrainians adopted Christianity in 988 AD, a lot of the symbols that were put on eggs also had religious significance, like a fish before wouldsa国际传媒檝e meant good harvest, good fishing and then it came to represent Christ the fisherman.sa国际传媒�

Rudy said she uses a sa国际传媒渨ax-resist processsa国际传媒� to make the eggs and is sa国际传媒渟aving the colour with the wax.sa国际传媒� She drains the yolk out of a hole with a device similar to a wine siphon, hooked up to her laundry sink. She uses a water-filled syringe to wash the eggsa国际传媒檚 inside as well.

sa国际传媒淵ou start with the raw egg. Whatever part of the egg you want to stay white, you put wax on it, then you dip it in your next lightest dye, which might be yellow,sa国际传媒� said Rudy. sa国际传媒淎ny part of the egg you want to stay yellow, you put wax on and then you go through your colour progression, to your darkest colour at the end and then you melt the wax off and all the colours come through.sa国际传媒�

The process is meticulous as Rudy said she tries for the perfect egg.

sa国际传媒淚 have to go through a lot of dozens to get decent ones that are smooth, nicely shaped, you donsa国际传媒檛 see the membrane coming through and you look for cracks and things,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淪ometimes people look at me like Isa国际传媒檓 picky. Theysa国际传媒檙e for decorating, not eating.sa国际传媒�

While Rudy makes eggs at Christmas for tree decorations, she said this is the true time of the year for decorative eggs, with secret dye recipes passed down through the generations.

sa国际传媒淚t was a very important ritual because they would put some (eggs) in the barn, under the hay for good milk production, in the beehives for good honey production, to the graves for deceased relatives, in their Easter basket to take to church for blessing,sa国际传媒� said Rudy. sa国际传媒淚t was a very important role for the women in Ukraine.sa国际传媒�

karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com
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