Pysanky
have been decorated since ancient pagan times. Many of the motifs used
to decorate pysanky can be traced back to the Bronze Era, 5000 years
ago. Pysanky
were seen as having protective and magical powers. One would hang
a pysanka from the eaves of one's house to protect it from
lightning. Beekeepers would bury one blessed pysanka under the
first beehive for a few days to ensure a good supply of honey.
Newly married couples would be given a pysanka with a chicken design, a
sign of fertility, to wish them the blessings of many children.
Making
pysanky (pysanky-plural, pysanka-singular) was a job for the woman of
the household. It was a sacred, secret task undertaken once
everyone else was in bed. When the equinox neared and later, after
Christianity, when Easter neared, women would set to work creating just
the right pysanka for each loved one. The artist had to know the
meaning of all the symbols. She had to spend a day "without sin" during
which she had not held any harsh feelings toward anyone, nor spoken any
harsh words. She would toil long and hard and speak certain
prayers to ensure that this pysanka would bring wealth, protection or
other goodwill to the recipient. The egg would then be brought out
as a surprise on Easter Sunday, taken to church where it would be
blessed, and then given to the recipient.
Pysanky
have always represented a wish for goodwill and blessings and continue
to do so today. There is so much wonderful folklore associated
with pysanky, I can't possibly fit it all here, but this gives you an
idea of the ancient "mojo" power they bear.
