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.
