Ukrainian Easter Eggs!

Yesterday my friend Meredith, along with her Mama, had Tirzah and I over to make Ukrainian Easter eggs!  It was a beautiful time as we gathered around the table, sipping coffee, listening to music, talking at times, and concentrating on the task at hand.  The task was a simple one: decorating an egg.  But it took precision, creativity, and lots of time.  Needless to say, I am not artistic at all, (oh how I long to be!), and yesterday took all my artistic energy for at least the next several months.  But indeed it was a simply beautiful morning.

I don't know if you have ever seen an Ukrainian Easter Egg, but after our time yesterday morning, I have a complete appreciation for the works of art these eggs are.  Here is a picture of some (obviously not mine!)

Absolutely beautiful!  Here is how you make an egg.

*Thinking head, you choose the color that you want the design to be.  For example, the blue egg above has a white design.  So you leave the egg white.  If you want the design to be another color, you first dye the egg.

*Next, using the tool pictured below, you scrape off some wax and melt it using a candle.  The wax runs down the tool in a hopefully steady stream, and with that waxed tool, you create your design on your egg.  A steady hand is a true blessing at this step!

* Next, you decide what color you want on top of that design.  Once again with the blue, you would dye the egg blue.  The wax guards the color below!  You can do this process several times to get 2, 3 or even 4 colors on your egg! (I only ventured into 2 colors yesterday)

* Next, you need to remove the wax from the egg by melting and wiping off the wax.

* Lastly, you put a varnish on the egg, and then use a suctioning tool to get the yoke and white out the bottom (we are doing this finishing step tomorrow).

*Hopefully you are left with an egg that is beautiful and adorning for any table (I will have to work up to that...).

If you ever get the chance to make an Ukrainian Easter Egg, know that it will take time, but it will always be a beautiful time of fellowship, of enjoying simplicity, and of deepening an appreciation for the art.