Pysanky an art form steeped in tradition
With every pysanky class Tammy Budnovitch teaches, she ensures that the Ukrainian craft passed down to her continues.
“There are so many traditions that our ancestors have brought over that are dying out,” she said.
Pysanky is a Ukrainian tradition of decorating eggs using wax and dye. Typically, the eggs are created around Easter, but they also are made for life celebrations such as births and weddings, said Budnovitch. Even at funerals, eggs are put in caskets to keep away evil spirits, she said.
She learned the craft from her mother and grandmother, starting with krashanky, a similar egg-decorating tradition, and then pysanky. Then, about seven years ago, as a fundraiser for the 125th anniversary of her church, SS. Cyril & Methodius Ukrainian Church in Olyphant, Budnovitch and her mother brought their craft to the public.
“It’s very dear to my heart,” she said.
The word pysanky comes from the Urkrainian word pysaty, which means to write, Budnovitch said. Designs are written in wax and then the egg, which symbolizes life, is dipped in a light-colored dye. The wax is then melted off and the final design revealed.
The eggs are either hollowed out or the insides left to dry out, she said.
Designs are not random and have both religious and cultural meaning, she said.
Lines encircling eggs signify everlasting life, Budnovitch teaches. Triangles symbolize either the Holy Trinity or the elements air, fire and water.
Dots can mean the constellations, sun and stars or, in the Catholic religion, Mary’s tears when her son, Jesus, was on the cross, Budnovitch said.
Colors have meaning too — lavender stands for patience, power and royalty, while pink means success or contentment. Four or more colors on an egg symbolizes happiness, peace and love.
Ukrainian women traditionally created the eggs while the men worked in the fields or tended to property.
“If you make one egg today and that’s all you make, at least my tradition is moving forward,” Budnovich told her class of students at the Lackawanna Historical Society on Saturday.
Kathleen BOLUS
