At The Ukrainian Museum: the magical pysanka

by Marta Baczynsky

NEW YORK - There is no Ukrainian folk art object that has such universal audience appeal as the pysanka. This can be observed at The Ukrainian Museum in spring, year after year. As winter's threats slowly fade in intensity and frequency, there is a reawakening of activity from various outside sources - and all due to the little decorated Easter egg.

There are telephone calls from television stations, newspapers, Internet providers and, of course, teachers of students of all ages. They all want to know when the pysanky exhibit will open at the museum; they want to see the pysanky, to photograph them and write about them. And, everyone wants to learn how to make one.

A long time ago our ancestors believed that the pysanka possessed powerful magic. It was a talisman, inviting good and protecting against evil. It heralded spring and promised a rebirth of life in the cold, frozen earth. The beautiful ornamentation of varied symbols on each pysanka held significant meaning for the people.

The designs on the egg were drawn in secret, protecting the benevolent spirits that were inscribed on it with wax. For example, the ancients interpreted eternity in formations of endless lines and glorified the sun with myriad rosette configurations. These symbols - many of whose meanings we recognize and others whose meanings were lost in the passage of time - are still being recreated in our day in the unbroken tradition sustained by Ukrainian artists who continue to practice this time-honored craft.

A thousand years ago Christianity redefined spirituality in our ancestral Rus'-Ukraine and its own symbolic imagery found a prominent position on the pysanka - a cross, a church, fish. The pysanka reinvented itself in the Easter basket, thus becoming a part of the rich tradition of the Church. And so the magic and the mystery of the pysanka continued through the ages.

Modern and sophisticated people of the 21st century tend to refer to the pysanka as "a beautiful work of folk art" and consider it a decorative object. Today people say they don't believe in magic. That is all well and good, but how does one explain the enormous charisma of this small decorated egg called a Ukrainian pysanka? How does one account for the remarkable longevity of its popularity? Why does it feel so good and right to give a pysanka or to receive one?

Ukrainians say it is the strength of their invariable ties to their history and culture that sustain our traditions, allowing them to pass from generation to generation, in the homeland and beyond its borders, unaltered, cherished and loved. That is the real and powerful magic of the pysanka.

The Ukrainian Museum invites all to come and rekindle this ancient tradition in their families. The museum's pysanka decorating workshop will teach participants how to draw swift lines on the white surface of an egg with a kistka, funneling hot wax to create designs. Participants will also learn the use of the traditional color spectrum and the rich cornucopia of motifs.

The workshop is open to adults as well as children over age 12. Workshops will be held on March 30 and April 5, 6, 12 and 13. The fee for each session is: $15 for adults; $10 for seniors and students over age 16; children 12-16 pay $3. Museum members receive a 15 percent discount. Reservations are required.

For those who only wish to see experts create beautiful pysanky, the museum will present a demonstration at which artists Anna Gbur and Sophia Zielyk will display their own talents in this genre. There will be a continuous showing of the award-winning film "Pysanka" made by director Slavko Nowytski. The demonstration will be held on Saturday, April 19, at 2-5 p.m. The fee is $4.50 for adults, $3 for seniors and students over 16; children under 12, free. Museum members receive a 15 percent discount.

To purchase traditional Ukrainian pysanky, the public may visit the museum's Gift Shop, which has a large selection of decorated eggs for sale at various prices. The shop also stocks pysanky-decorating kits, as well as all materials necessary for the craft (kistka, wax, dyes).

The workshops and the demonstration will be held at The Ukrainian Museum, 203 Second Ave., New York, NY.

For information call (212) 228-0110; e-mail [email protected]; or log on to http://www.ukrainianmuseum.org.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 23, 2003, No. 12, Vol. LXXI

| Home Page |