82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 30,2002
Artists Recreate
Easter Tradition
The dye, colored black so it is easier to see, is applied
to the egg with a medium- or fine-point “kiska.”
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
A springtime custom long
practiced in faraway Ukraine has
reached America.
“Pysanky” eggs have become a
popular showpiece and craft en
deavor for many people who
enjoy the art.
“One of the oldest symbols of
new life, rebirth, and love,”
according to brochure informa
tion, the eggs, traditionally cre
ated in the springtime, were de
corated to celebrated nature’s
renewal with the coming of warm
weather.
The word “Pysaty,” meaning
“to write,” is accomplished by lit
erally writing on the egg with a
wax-applying instrument to cre
ate the colorful, meaningful de
signs.
Flowers, for example, symbol
ize love, charity, and good will.
Evergreen trees symbolize eternal
youth and health. Wheat symbol
zies good health and a bountiful
harvest.
Animal symbols also show up
on eggs, as deer, sheep, horse,
and lion symbolize weather, pros-
One of the last steps is melting the wax off of the egg,
which is followed by wiping the egg with a paper towel.
“That’s when you see what you’ve accomplished,” said
Swisher.
peritx, strength, and speed. Fish Most of the time, the egg cre
symbolize Christianity. Geomet- ator begins with a white egg to
ric symbolize rakes, ladders, create the pearly white outline
windmills, triangles, and stars are that contrasts with the vibrant
also combined to create the intri- colors of the dyes,
cate picture. Once the original lines are
Although the designs may look drawn on the egg, it is placed in a
like they’ve been stenciled on the yellow dye for 2-3 minutes.
egg, the patterns are drawn on
freehand.
Beryl Swisher, Lancaster, has egg portrayed in the pattern,
filled her Easter season with which adds lines which will be
crafting designs on eggshell can- yellow on the egg.
vases. After learning the art from
a fellow church member, she now
teaches a five-week course con
ducted at her church before Eas
ter.
To create a Pysanky egg,
Swisher carefully notes the lines
on a pattern, then faithfully re
produces it on her egg with a
pencil, dividing the egg into
eighths.
The rest of the design, how
ever, is accomplished simply with
the wax-yielding tool called the
“kiska.”
By heating the metal end of
the small instrument, Swisher
melts the beeswax (candle wax
cannot be substituted) which cre
ates the lines of the pattern. She
puts the black wax, which is most
easily seen on the white egg shell,
in the top of the kiska.
The small amount of wax dries
very quickly, speeding the pro
cess. With a pattern she has com
pleted several times, for example,
Swisher can decorate an egg in
less than an hour.
Mistakes can be scraped off
with a small scalpel-like instru
ment. “These arc little things you
learn on your own,” she said.
To move to the following step,
Swisher takes note of the second
“I look at one design to the
next to see what is missing,” she
said. “I make sure there is
enough room to put the next de
sign in.
“If you make a mistake, don’t
worry about it because most peo
ple won’t know you made a mis
take. Just keep on going,” she
said.
After the wax lines are draw
over the areas which are meant
to be yellow, she places the egg in
the pink dye. Again she looks at
the pattern on the egg which dic
tates which lines, or filled-in de
signs, should be pink and applies
the wax.
Following this the egg is put
into the blue dye.
Since the blue
The wax dries quickly, so the egg can move on to the next step, a 2-3 minute bath in
each dye.
color for this particular pattern,
she dries the egg with a paper
towel, then places it in the flame
of an alcohol burner.
“I teach my class to use a can
dle,” she said, although the egg
will take on black carbon
smudges if it gets in the candle’s
flame. Once the egg’s wax is
melted off in a few seconds, she
wipes the wax off with a paper
towel.
“That’s when you see what
you’ve accomplished.”
A varnish gives a glistening
coat and protects the egg from
damage, since water can change
the dye. In addition, when the
contents of the egg are blown out,
a varnish coat will protect the
outside of the egg from the wet
yolk and white.
While the eggs look intricate
and complicated, creating this art
form is within reach of most.
“Once you learn the basics,
you’ll feel a lot more confident”
in going ahead with more intri
cate designs.
Swisher gets her inspiration for
new patterns from books or from
attendees of the class that she has
taught at her church, St. Peters
Lutheran Church, for three years.
“I don’t necessarily teach. The
ladies just like to get together to
do these eggs.” Swisher sets up
the area and copies designs for
the evening’s session. Partici
pants bring their own dyes and
tools. They create eggs once a
week for five weeks before Eas
ter, then display the eggs in a
glass case on Easter Sunday at
the church.
Fortunately for Pysanky cre
ators, buying the materials
needed to begin the art are ap
proximately $lO. Two kiskas, one
fine and one medium, and five
dyes, black, bright red, yellow,
orange, and blue, are the necessi
ties. From there, “you can make
just about any colors you want
to.”
With more than 10 years of ex
perience, she has passed on the
art to not only fellow church and
community members but also her
grandchildren. Teaching the
technique, however, is not the
only thing she has given.
“I must have given away 20-30
because they it in my way I
is the last
Pysanky eggs are created with wax and dyes.
Swisher uses a variety of items to display her eggs.
don’t know where to go with
them after a while.” The eggs she
has kept have taken up residence
on small iron stands, in a basket,
or displayed in small wooden
pots.
Swisher, who grew up on a
small dairy and chicken farm in
Espyville, Crawford County,
buys only eggs from a nearby
farm.
She said that the shell is hard
er since it has not been processed
with the wash at a plant. Next
she washes the eggs with white
vinegar to give them a bright
white glow for the outlines.
Dyes are available only during
the Easter season, however once
(Turn to Page B 3)