How resiliency of Easter pysanky tradition gives Ukrainian-Canadians hope

While many Ukrainian-Canadians create pysanky every Easter, for artist Joan Brander the brightly coloured and intricately drawn eggs have come to represent a hope for peace in Ukraine at a time when the country and its culture are under attack.

The technique of creating pysanky traces back thousands of years, and when Ukrainians began coming to Canada, "we continued it as part of our cultural identity," said Brander.

She is helping to keep the tradition alive through her business Baba's Beeswax, an e-commerce site selling everything you need to make traditional pysanky. 

The decorated eggs are now associated with Easter, but before Christianity they were simply a celebration of spring. According to Brander, Ukrainians historically worshipped a sun god because its warmth nurtured life.

"So, in ancient times, putting nature's symbols on eggs became a part of spring rituals," she said. 

Another ritual that has carried over to today is the practice of giving the decorated eggs away to friends and family for good luck, success, or health.

"Part of the reason for doing that is they hold special powers," said Brander. "They will protect your home, and people want to give that gift to others."

Melted wax and dye

According to the Canadian Library of Parliament, the word pysanky comes from the Ukrainian verb for "write" or "inscribe." 

That etymology is evident in the technique. The eggs are decorated using wax and dyes — a method that Brander compares to batik, an Indonesian method of wax-resistant dyeing on fabric. The artist applies melted wax to the eggshell, outlining the desired pattern, and then dips it into successively darker colours. The wax is then removed to reveal the pattern and colour beneath. 

While whole eggs were traditionally used because they represent life, Brander recommends that beginners use hollowed egg shells to learn. She adds that while the detailed artwork makes pysanky-making seem daunting, "with the right instruction and the proper tools, anyone can make them."

Pysanky have remained a resilient part of Ukrainian culture, dating back to before the introduction of Christianity and through the Soviet era. That resiliency is making them representative of something more than Easter, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

Brander says while the style of designs on pysanka eggs has remained consistent throughout the years, some artists are breaking with tradition to create patriotic designs using the Ukrainian flag's colours of blue and yellow. 

"As Ukraine struggles with Russia's aggression in her national identity, for me personally, it's my symbol of hope: to make them and hope for the best," said Brander.