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Glam Journal

What is Ukrainian egg painting called?

Author

Ava White

Updated on March 10, 2026

What is Ukrainian egg painting called?

A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, “to write” or “to inscribe”, as the designs are not painted on, but written (inscribed) with beeswax.

Do Russians make pysanky?

Because the Russians do not have pysanky in their tradition, this was one folk art that they could not claim as their own, the way they have done with so much of Ukrainian heritage1.” It was not re-opened until after independence, when it was used to form the basis of the collection of the new Museum of the Pysanka.

When was pysanky invented?

Archeologists have discovered ceramic pysanky in Ukraine dating back to 1,300 BC, and suspect they were made in honour of the spring equinox.

Why do Ukrainians paint eggs?

The tradition is called pysanky — the beautiful painted Easter eggs that were originally created to bless every part of life in Ukraine as talismans of prosperity, fertility, healing and protection, long life and bounty.

Who created pysanky eggs?

They were traditionally made by the women of the family. The art of the decorated egg in Ukraine probably dates back to ancient times. No actual ancient examples exist, as eggshells are fragile. The oldest “real” pysanka was excavated in Baturyn (northern Ukraine) in 2008, and dates to the end of the 17th century.

What country does pysanky come from?

A pysanka (plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated using beeswax and dyes. The word comes from the verb pysaty, “to write”, as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

What is a kistka?

A kistka is the wax tool used in the traditional wax-resist and dye (batik) method to produce colorful eggs in the same fashion as Ukranian pysanky.

How do I start pysanky?

How to Make Pysanky

  1. Lightly pencil a design on a washed and dried, uncooked white egg.
  2. Heat the bowl of the kitska over a candle, use it to scoop up a little beeswax, heat the kitska again, and draw melted beeswax on the parts of the design that should stay white.

What country does pysanka come from?

What is egg decorating called?

Let’s start with the word itself: Pysanky (plural form of pysanka) is from the Ukrainian word “pysaty” meaning “to write.” Pysanky eggs are perfect for Easter and are hand-drawn creations—first in pencil using guidelines to section off an egg into a grid pattern, and then with detail within the grid.

What is a Ukrainian egg?

How do you make homemade kistka?

The kistka is just a tiny funnel set into a hole in the end of a short stick. To make the funnel, simply twist a small piece of brass or copper foil into a hollow cone with a 1/4″-wide base and a minuscule hole at the small end.

How do you make pysanky?

Pysanky are made by puncturing the shell in two places and carefully removing the liquid contents of the egg by blowing them out. Using the hot wax pen the artists writes a pattern, dips the pysanky into dyes, lets then dry and continues the process several times, producing colorful overlapping patterns on the shell of the Ukrainian eggs.

What is the meaning of a pysanky?

Folk cultures around the world consider the pysanky a symbol of springtime and rebirth. It’s a wonderful gift of life with a deep meaning! This Easter egg decoration technique is considered by many different folk cultures around the world as a symbol of springtime and rebirth.

Are pysanky eggs real?

The delicate nature of real eggs is what makes Pysanky eggs all the more unbelievable. Although it may seem improbable, these eggs are real. Pysanky are made by puncturing the shell in two places and carefully removing the liquid contents of the egg by blowing them out.