This zine honors the ten-century-old Ukrainian tradition of dyeing pysanky easter eggs. Pysanka are eggs richly decorated using a wax-resist method. Pysanka comes from the word pysaty meaning, “to write” or “to inscribe,” as the designs are inscribed with beeswax. 

 

It began as a pagan ritual, with eggs representing the rebirth of earth in the spring and were thought to be magical. However, when Ukraine accepted Christianity in 988, the symbolism of the egg changed to represent the rebirth of man, the Resurrection of Christ.

 

My family has been celebrating this Ukrainian Easter tradition for at least three generations and I wanted to create a zine to document the processes for those looking to learn and for future generations of my family.