Bilhorod-Dnistorvskiy, UKRAINE – For many years I wasn’t a fan of tradition, but dying eggs was something that I did every year.
In Ukraine we have three popular styles of eggs dying.
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For every technique you should first blow out the eggs or boil them.
Krashanka is a technique where you immerse eggs in different colors. Onion peel, for instance, can make a wonderful brown color.
If you are doing krapanka, which comes from the word крапати, which means “to drip,” you use wax to make small points on eggshell and then you immerse this egg in a bright color, such as yellow.
After the egg becomes this color you again make a few more points on the shell and immerse it in a darker color. You can repeat this technique multiple times, layer by layer. And after you get to the darkest color that you want, scratch all the wax from the egg and it’s krapanka.
The third method is pysanka, which comes from the word писати, meaning “to write.”
Pysanka has many similarities with krapanka, but it is a more complicated art.
It’s important to first draw on the eggshell with a pencil, sketching different lines and symbols. Then you use a kistka, or a stylus with a small funnel for wax.
After this, repeat the same dying methods as with krapanka, starting with a lighter color and working towards the darker ones.
Kateryna Podzyrei is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Ukraine. She wrote this article.
Daria Prymak is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Ukraine. She made the audio recording.
