Today, students in Homebase Salk and Homebase Barton learned to do the traditional Ukrainian folk art called Pysanky.  A parent volunteer came in and taught the students about this age old tradition of egg decoration. As you can see, the students made some beautiful eggs, with very simple materials (crayons for wax, for example). They designed carefully and came up with some wonderful products.

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The students also learned an old tale about the origin of the art.  It told the story of a poor peddler who goes out to sell eggs, and comes across a sick old man. The peddler goes over to help the old man, and when he returns to his basket, the eggs are transformed!  Unlike in the United States, where Christian people hide eggs on Easter, Ukrainians give these eggs as gifts to important people in their lives.  Students also learned about the meaning of various symbols and what kind of “luck” they bring to the person who is given the egg.  For example, a spider symbol brings artistic abilities, and grapes represent brotherhood and faithful love.

Note: If you didn’t read about my recent experience making my own egg, click here.