The Easter Egg And The Easter Hare...

Bunnies should use caution when
prepping their eggs.

      The Easter egg and that ubiquitous little Easter hare that defies all the natural laws governing mammals are well known to childish fancy. What child has not discovered on Easter morning a whole basket of beautiful pasque eggs and just missed the sight of the little Easter hare that laid them? He is almost as familiar a household personage as Santa Claus. Long hours have the children watched in the woods for him, only to go home and find they have just missed his visit there, and there are those beautiful eggs he left behind, in pink, pale blue, yellow and all the colors of the rainbow, some of them parti-colored, some painted with roses and some tied with ribbons. Of late years this enterprising little animal has gone far as to leave china eggs filled with bonbons, and that he leaves them there is no more doubt than that Santa Claus comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve, and who is so disloyal as to doubt that?

      There are various ways of preparing Easter eggs that give so much delight to little ones. The most elaborately decorated eggs should be emptied and washed of their contents before they are prepared. This is the most economical as well as the most satisfactory way to do: Pierce a small hole through each end, blow out the contents, wash the shells and leave them for several days to dry. Some eggs shells may be gilded, some silvered and some painted in oils. Simple gifts such as are suitable at Easter time may be conceded under these eggs.

      Plain boiled eggs, such as are served on the Easter breakfast table, may be easily dyed with vegetable dyes, which can be procured at caterers or dealers in confectioner’s supplies. It is not in good taste to make these eggs eaten at the breakfast table especially elaborate. The elaborate eggs are those which are supposed to be found incidentally after breakfast, on Easter morning, and are for the amusement of small children. A dish of pale green, white and yellow eggs at one end of the table or robin’s egg blue and pale yellow and white at the other end gives the breakfast table a festive appearance. It is easy enough to prepare a few eggs in each of these colors to obtain this effect. It is a little difficult to get a good green in eggs. Owning to the quantity of lime in the shells all eggs do not take this natural green color as some others will, and it is better to color eggs a simply as possible than to use any powerful dyes when eating them later.

      It is possible to decorate more ornamental eggs of which the contents have been blown out. Eggs may be prepared weeks before Easter and may be hidden away until the eventful morning. These simple eggshells when decorated in natural colors using roses or forget-me-nots and each strung on a fancy ribbon will last a long time, if taken care of.

      The eggs of nearly all ordinary birds, from the gigantic ostrich, whose shell is firm enough to be set in silver, to the smallest bantam, where at one time represented in many shops at Easter time. These were decorated, to hold various kinds of candies or for ornamental purposes. You will net to be diligent to find decorative eggs like these in antique shops or vintage resale in time for Easter if you live in the United States, for it is nearly impossible to find these mouth-blown, decorated eggs for sale. When my children were young, there was a chocolate shop down the street that sold these but that was highly unusual.

How to blow out an egg from Modernmom

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Heavenly Ways to Color Easter Eggs

Egg coloring and dying process reminds me
of the views of heaven brought back by NASA
James Webb Space Telescope!

       These "heavenly" looking Easter eggs were colored by combining two traditional techniques. 

1. First, you will need to hard boil white eggs on the stove top. While the eggs are still hot, use tongs to remove them and set them inside of a paper egg carton cup. The crayons may be either rubbed directly onto the hot surfaces of the egg or these may be shredded using a pencil sharpener and sprinkled onto the eggs to melt down the sides. 
2.  The hotter the egg surface, the brighter and bolder the crayons will look. 
3. Next, it is very important after these first two steps to let the eggs cool down completely before dying them.
4. Prepare the food dyes by boiling hot water and adding 1 cup of water to a heavy mug along with a Tablespoon of white vinegar and four to five drops of food coloring for each mug. 
5. Then stir each color with a spoon and allow the dyes to cool completely before soaking the eggs in them. Often times when dying eggs the food color mixture is warmish, however, if you where to dip the crayon covered eggs in a hot to warm food dye at this point, most of the crayon color would melt off with the soft wax covering.
6. The food dye colors will naturally attach themselves to the parts of the egg where there is no wax pigment.
   

21 Additional Helpful Hints for Painting and Dying Easter Eggs:

1. Eggs at room temperature are easier to dye.
2. Soaking empty egg shells in a vinegar and water solution will loosen the inside membrane so that it may be removed easily.
3. You can rub the surface of a dyed Easter egg with vegetable oil in order to intensify the color.
4. You can paint the surface of a hollow egg with any type of paint, but most folk artists prefer dyes, inks or acrylic paints.
5. Designs 'in the round' are considered more aesthetic because the egg itself is round.
6. Although American crafters have a preference for pastel colored eggs, the bold colors of the European/Asian folk artists are the oldest and the most traditional.
7. Vinegar kills most molds, bacterias, germs etc. associated with eggs.
8. Hard-cooked eggs minimizes cracking when dying edible varieties for Easter. Bring the water to a boil, then turn of the burner and allow the eggs to sit in very hot water for 12 to 18 minutes, longer if the eggs are larger.
9. Fresh eggs are difficult to peal.
10. Hard-cooked eggs are edible when refrigerated up to one week, if you leave them in the shell.
11. If you remove the shell from a hard-cooked egg, eat it immediately.
12. Eggs left in their shells are not microwavable.
13. You can not cook an egg in it's shell if you try to do so above 10,000 feet. If you live in the mountains, you will need to blow out the contents of the egg before dying or painting them for Easter!
14. If you should decide to craft with plastic eggs, it is best to lightly sand these before applying glue. The unaltered plastic surface is very difficult to adhere many objects to.
15. Always seal surfaces of wooden or plastic painted eggs with acrylic varnish or Mod Podge in order to preserve your work.
16. Real hollow eggs that are either hand-painted or carved are considered more collectable because of their fragility. 
17. Some antique metal eggs with original paint are also highly sought after by collectors.
18. Silk dyed eggs must be dyed in an enamel pot that you have no plans for using for any other cooking purposes. This is because silk dyes are toxic and these dyes also interact with metals in unpredictable ways. You can find enamel pots in resale stores or Goodwill outlets. These were very popular during the early 1900's.
19. To achieve dark colors on your eggs, simply leave them in dying solutions longer. 
20. You don't need to purchase little kits to dye your eggs. You can mix your own egg dye with one cup of boiling water, a tablespoon of white vinegar and a little food color. 
21. Dye your Easter eggs in deep mugs so that the eggs may be submerged completely for a uniform dyed surface.

 Spring by Anne K. Alexander
Early in the morning
When the sky is still and gray,
The robin perches on a tree
And sings a roundelay.

Dye Easter Eggs With Onion Skins

Author Charles Alexander (Sasha) Clarkson.
This is a picture of pace-eggs which I
prepared in the traditional Northumbrian
(Teesside and north) fashion by boiling white eggs
 wrapped in onion skins. In England these
 eggs are commonly referred to as "pace" eggs.

      When boiling eggs for Easter, a popular tan color can be achieved by boiling the eggs with onion skins. A greater variety of color may also be achieved by tying on the onion skin with different colored woolen yarn. In the North of England these are called pace-eggs or paste-eggs, from a dialectal form of Middle English pasche. They were usually eaten after an egg-jarping (egg-tapping) competition.

      In the North of England, at Eastertime, this traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other player's egg with their own. This is known as "egg tapping", "egg dumping" or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. The annual egg jarping world championship is held every year over Easter in Peterlee Cricket Club. It is also practiced in Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and other countries. They call it tucanje. In parts of Austria, Bavaria and German-speaking Switzerland it is called Ostereiertitschen or Eierpecken. In parts of Europe it is also called epper, presumably from the German name Opfer, meaning "offering" and in Greece it is known as tsougrisma. In South Louisiana this practice is called Pocking Eggs and is slightly different. The Louisiana Creoles hold that the winner eats the eggs of the losers in each round.

In the video, the eggs are also dyed a second time in food coloring 

in order to add complex colors to the surface of the pace-eggs.

• Color Lilies in Stained Glass Window

Pisanka Are Polish Easter Eggs

      Polish pisanka (plural pisanki) is a common name for an egg (usually that of a chicken, although goose or duck eggs are also used) ornamented using various techniques. Originating as a pagan tradition, pisanki were absorbed by Christianity to become the traditional Easter egg. Pisanki are now considered to symbolise the revival of nature and the hope that Christians gain from faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Left, A Polish pisanka of the drapanka type. Center, A Polish drapanka with very dark dye.
Far Right, A Polish drapanka with reddish dye.  There are various types of
pisanki, based on the technique and preparation used:

• Kraszanki (sometimes called malowanki or byczki) are made by boiling an egg in a decoction of plants or other natural products. The colour of kraszanka depends on the kind of product used:
  • brown: onion peels;
  • black: oak or alder bark or the nutshell of walnut;
  • golden: the bark of young apple tree or the marigold flower;
  • violet: petals of the mallow flower;
  • green: shoots of young rye or leaves of periwinkle;
  • pink: the juice of beet.
• Drapanki or skrobanki are made by scratching the surface of a kraszanka with a sharp tool to reveal the white of the egg shell.
• Pisanki are created by drawing (Polish: pisanie) on an egg shell covered with a layer of molten wax, or alternately drawing designs with wax on a bare egg. The egg is then submerged into a dye.
• Naklejanki or nalepianki are decorated with petals of elderberry, scraps of colourful paper (including wycinanki) or with patches of cloth. Popular in Łowicz and the surrounding area.
• Oklejanki or wyklejanki are decorated with bulrush pith or yarn. They are common in the Podlaskie region of Poland.

Serbołużyckie pisanki.

      The oldest known Polish pisanki date from the 10th century, although it is probable that eggs were decorated by Slavic peoples even earlier.

      In the past, only women decorated eggs. Men were not allowed to come inside the house during the process, as it was believed that they could put a spell on the eggs, and cause bad luck.

Until the 12th century, the Catholic church forbade the consumption of eggs during Easter. The church wished to distance itself from the pagan roots of the tradition connected with the cult of the dead, in which the egg played an important role as a symbol of rebirth. This ban was lifted, but it was necessary to offer a special prayer before eating.

Jajka wielkanocne.

Cardboard eggs trimmed with paper lace
 made using a paper punch.

      Today in Poland, eggs and pisanki are hallowed on Easter Saturday along with the traditional Easter basket. On Easter Sunday, before the ceremonial breakfast, these eggs are exchanged and shared among the family at the table. This is a symbol of friendship, similar to the sharing of the Opłatek (Christmas wafer) on Christmas Eve.

Related Content:

• Polish Easter Customs
• Traditional Polish Easter Basket!
• Polish Easter Baskets Explained by Simply Polish

       Here is another idea for making elaborate patterns on Easter eggs that is not nearly so difficult for younger crafters. Use a paper punching tool to cut fancy designs from paper and then decoupage layers on top of cardboard cut-outs of eggs. Try multiple colors to find a 'look' that mimics pisanka if you've got enough paper punches to do it. The sample below uses only one punch but I'm sure that some of our readers have many more than this!

How To Make Pysanky

      Each region, each village, and almost every family in Ukraine had its own special ritual, its own symbols, meanings and secret formulas for dyeing eggs. These customs were preserved faithfully and passed down from mother to daughter through generations. The custom of decorating pysanky was observed with greatest care, and a pysanka, after receiving the Easter blessing, was held to have great powers as a talisman.

Examples of Ukrainian pysanky, modern and traditional.

      Pysanky were traditionally made during the last week of Lent, Holy Week in the Orthodox and Greek (Uniate) Catholic calendars. (Both faiths are represented in Ukraine, and both still celebrate Easter by the Julian calendar.) They were made by the women of the family. During the middle of the Lenten season, women began putting aside eggs, those that were most perfectly shaped and smooth, and ideally, the first laid eggs of young hens. There had to be a rooster, as only fertilized eggs could be used. (If non-fertile eggs were used, there would be no fertility in the home.)

      The dyes were prepared from dried plants, roots, bark, berries and insects (cochineal). Yellow was obtained from the flowers of the woadwaxen, and gold from onion skins. Red could be extracted from logwood or cochineal, and dark green and violet from the husks of sunflower seeds and the berries and bark of the elderberry bush. Black dye was made from walnut husks. The dyes were prepared in secret, using recipes handed down from mother to daughter. Sometimes chemical dyes (of unusual or difficult colors) were purchased from traders along with alum, a mordant that helped the natural dyes adhere better to eggshells.

A variety of styluses, from traditional to modern

      A stylus, known as a pysachok, pysak, pysal'tse, or kystka (kistka), depending on region, was prepared. A piece of thin brass was wrapped around a needle, forming a hollow cone. This was attached to a small stick (willow was preferred) with wire or horsehair. In some regions, mostly in Transcarpathia, a simple pin inserted onto the end of a stick was used instead (drop-pull technique).

The pysanky were made at night, when the children were asleep. The women in the family gathered together, said the appropriate prayers, and went to work. It was done in secret––the patterns and color combinations were handed down from mother to daughter and carefully guarded.

      Pysanky were made using a wax resist (batik) method. Beeswax was heated in a small bowl on the stove (піч), and then scooped into the stylus as needed. The molten wax was applied to the white egg with a writing motion; any bit of shell covered with wax would be sealed, and remain white. Then the egg was dyed yellow, and more wax applied, and then orange, red, purple, black. (The dye sequence was always light to dark). Bits of shell covered with wax remained that color. After the final color, usually red, brown or black, 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.

An unfinished pysanka ready for the
 black bath of dye. It bears the
Ukrainian Easter greeting:
"Christ is risen!"

      Boiled eggs were not used, as pysanky were generally written on raw or, less commonly, baked eggs (pecharky). Boiled eggs were dyed red for Easter, using an onion skin dye, and called "krashanky". The number of colors on an egg was usually limited, as natural dyes had very long dyeing times, sometimes hours. Pysanky would be made–and dyed–in batches.

      Alternatively, in Transcarpathia and other ethnic Lemko areas, a pinhead was dipped into molten wax and then applied to the shell of the egg. Simple drops were made, or there was an additional pulling motion, which would create teardrop or comma shapes. These drops were used to create patterns and designs. Dyeing and wax removal proceeded as with traditional pysanky.

      Pysanky continue to be made in modern times; while many traditional aspects have been preserved, new technologies are in evidence. Aniline dyes have largely replaced natural dyes. Styluses are now made with modern materials. Traditional styluses are still made from brass and wood, but those made with more modern plastic handles are gaining in popularity. An electric version of the stylus has been commercially available since the 1970s, with the cone becoming a metal reservoir which keeps the melted beeswax at a constant temperature and holds a much larger amount than a traditional stylus. These newer styluses (whether electric or not) also sport machined heads, with sizes or the opening ranging from extra-fine to extra-heavy.

      Pysanky are typically made to be given to family members and respected outsiders. To give a pysanka is to give a symbolic gift of life, which is why the egg must remain whole. Furthermore, each of the designs and colors on the pysanka is likely to have a deep, symbolic meaning. Traditionally, pysanky designs are chosen to match the character of the person to whom the pysanka is to be given. Typically, pysanky are displayed prominently in a public room of the house.

      In a large family, by Holy Thursday, 60 or more eggs would have been completed by the women of the house. (The more daughters a family had, the more pysanky would be produced.) The eggs would then be taken to the church on Easter Sunday to be blessed, after which they were given away. Here is a partial list of how the pysanky would be used:

1. One or two would be given to the priest.
2. Three or four were taken to the cemetery and placed on graves of the family.
3. Ten or fifteen were given to children or godchildren.
4. Ten or twelve were exchanged by the unmarried girls with the eligible men in the community.
5. Several were saved to place in the coffin of loved ones who might die during the year.
6. Several were saved to keep in the home for protection from fire, lightning and storms.
7. Two or three were placed in the mangers of cows and horses to ensure safe calving and colting and a good milk supply for the young.
8. At least one egg was placed beneath the bee hive to insure a good harvest of honey.
9. One was saved for each grazing animal to be taken out to the fields with the shepherds in the spring.
10. Several pysanky were placed in the nests of hens to encourage the laying of eggs.

      Everyone from the youngest to the oldest received a pysanka for Easter. Young people were given pysanky with bright designs; dark pysanky were given to older people.

      A bowl full of pysanky was invariably kept in every home. It served not only as a colorful display, but also as protection from all dangers. Some of the eggs were emptied, and a bird’s head made of wax or dough and wings and tail-feathers of folded paper were attached. These “doves” were suspended before icons in commemoration of the birth of Christ, when a dove came down from heaven and soared over the child Jesus.

History of Pysanky From The Ukraine

      A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax. The word pysanka refers specifically to an egg decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs, and is not a generic term for any egg decorated using wax resist.

      Many other eastern European ethnic groups decorate eggs using wax resist for Easter. These include the Belarusians (пісанка, pisanka), Bulgarians (писано яйце, pisano yaytse), Croats (pisanica), Czechs (kraslice), Hungarians (hímestojás), Lithuanians (margutis), Poles (pisanka), Romanians (ouă vopsite, incondeiate or impistrite), Serbs (pisanica), Slovaks (kraslica), Slovenes (pisanica, pirhi or remenke) and Sorbs (jejka pisać).

Easter egg from Romania. Note the mostly white Pysanky in the
front, "Similarly, it is appropriate to give young people pysanky
 with white as the predominant color because their
 life is still a blank page."

      The art of the decorated egg in Ukraine, or the pysanka, probably dates back to ancient times. No actual ancient examples exist, as eggshells are fragile. As in many ancient cultures, Ukrainians worshipped a sun god (Dazhboh). The sun was important - it warmed the earth and thus was a source of all life. Eggs decorated with nature symbols became an integral part of spring rituals, serving as benevolent talismans.

      In pre-Christian times, Dazhboh was one of the main deities in the Slavic pantheon; birds were the sun god's chosen creations, for they were the only ones who could get near him. Humans could not catch the birds, but they did manage to obtain the eggs the birds laid. Thus, the eggs were magical objects, a source of life. The egg was also honored during rite-of-Spring festivals––it represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers.

      With the advent of Christianity, via a process of religious syncretism, the symbolism of the egg was changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose. With the acceptance of Christianity in 988, the decorated pysanka, in time, was adapted to play an important role in Ukrainian rituals of the new religion. Many symbols of the old sun worship survived and were adapted to represent Easter and Christ's Resurrection.

      In modern times, the art of the pysanka was carried abroad by Ukrainian emigrants to North and South America, where the custom took hold, and concurrently banished in Ukraine by the Soviet regime (as a religious practice), where it was nearly forgotten. Museum collections were destroyed both by war and by Soviet cadres. Since Ukrainian Independence in 1991, there has been a rebirth of the art in its homeland.

A mix of modern, diasporan and traditional Ukrainian pysanky.

      No actual pysanka have been found from Ukraine's prehistoric periods, as eggshells do not preserve well. Cultic ceramic eggs have been discovered in excavations near the village of Luka Vrublivets'ka, during excavations of a Trypillian site (5th to 3rd millennium BC). These eggs were ornamented, and in the form of торохкальці (torokhkal'tsi; rattles containing a small stone with which to scare evil spirits away).

      Similarly, no actual pysanky from the Kievan Rus' period exist, but stone, clay and bone versions do, and have been excavated in many sites throughout Ukraine. Most common are ceramic eggs decorated with a сосонка (horsetail plant) pattern in yellow and bright green against a dark background. More than 70 such eggs have been excavated throughout Ukraine, many of them from graves of children and adults. They are thought to be representations of real decorated eggs.

      These ceramic eggs were common in Kievan Rus', and had a characteristic style. They were slightly smaller than life size (2.5 by 4 cm, or 1 by 1.6 inches), and were created from reddish pink clays by the spiral method. The majolica glazed eggs had a brown, green or yellow background, and showed interwoven yellow and green stripes. The eggs made in large cities like Kiev and Chernihiv, which had workshops that produced clay tile and bricks; these tiles (and pysanky) were not only used locally, but were exported to Poland, and to several Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

      The oldest "real" pysanka was excavated in Baturyn in 2008, and dates to the end of the 17th century. Baturyn was Hetman Mazepa's capital, and it was razed in 1708 by the armies of Peter I. A complete (but crushed) pysanka was discovered, a chicken egg shell with geometric designs against a blue-gray background. The pysanka is currently being reconstructed; when completed, it will allow us to see what sort of ornamentation was in use in pre-1708 Ukraine.

      The Hutsuls––Ukrainians who live in the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine––believe that the fate of the world depends upon the pysanka. As long as the egg decorating custom continues, the world will exist. If, for any reason, this custom is abandoned, evil––in the shape of a horrible serpent who is forever chained to a cliff–– will overrun the world. Each year the serpent sends out his minions to see how many pysanky have been created. If the number is low the serpent's chains are loosened and he is free to wander the earth causing havoc and destruction. If, on the other hand, the number of pysanky has increased, the chains are tightened and good triumphs over evil for yet another year.

      Newer legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel to her son and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.

      Another legend tells of when Mary Magdalene went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.

Red, black and white colors on eggs.

      A common legend tells of Simon the peddler, who helped Jesus carry his cross on the way to Calvary. He had left his goods at the side of the road, and, when he returned, the eggs had all turned into intricately decorated pysanky.

      Many superstitions were attached to pysanky. Pysanky were thought to protect households from evil spirits, catastrophe, lightning and fires. Pysanky with spiral motifs were the most powerful, as the demons and other unholy creatures would be trapped within the spirals forever. A blessed pysanka could be used to find demons hidden in the dark corners of your house.

      Pysanky was believed to hold powerful magic, and had to be disposed of properly, lest a witch get a hold of one. She could use the shell to gather dew, and use the gathered dew to dry up a cow's milk. The witch could also use bits of the eggshell to poke people and sicken them. The eggshell had to be ground up very finely (and fed to chickens to make them good egg layers) or broken into pieces and tossed into a running stream.

      The cloth used to dry pysanky was powerful, too, and could be used to cure skin diseases. And it was considered very bad luck to trample on a pysanka–God would punish anyone who did with a variety of illnesses.

      There were superstitions regarding the colors and designs on the pysanky. One old Ukrainian myth centered on the wisdom of giving older people gifts of pysanky with darker colors and/or rich designs, for their life has already been filled. Similarly, it is appropriate to give young people pysanky with white as the predominant color because their life is still a blank page. Girls would often give pysanky to young men they fancied, and include heart motifs. It was said, though, that a girl should never give her boyfriend a pysanky that has no design on the top and bottom of the egg, as this might signify that the boyfriend would soon lose his hair.

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• Customs and Traditions
• Pysanka Writing Videos