Traditional Easter - the Ukrainian way
On the days 23rd and 24th of March, our Ukrainian Erasmus + student from Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University, Olha Pashchenko organized Ukrainian Easter Egg Painting Workshops. On Wednesday she did that for Polish senior students studying at Karkonoski Uniwersytet Trzeciego Wieku, and on Thursday for Turkish and Polish students.
During the workshops she told the students about traditions and customs of Ukraine. She underlined that they are still very important for local people. Even younger people eagerly follow them. Olha came in a traditional Ukrainian outfit, called "vyshyvanka". She told us about the tradition to pass embroidered shirts and towels as priceless relics from generation to generation to ensure happy future.
As we are celebrating Eater on the 27th of March, Olha decided to show the students how to make Easter eggs in Ukrainian style. Easter eggs (pysanky) - are usually decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resistant method. Olha told us that many superstitions were attached to pysanky. They were thought to protect households from evil spirits, catastrophes, lightning and fires. And even now some Ukrainian people believe in them. We found out that pysanky are typically made to be given to family members or respected outsiders as talismans. To give pysanka is to give a symbolic gift of life. And design and combination of colours and motifs on every Easter egg has a very deep, symbolic meaning.
Olha prepared all items for creating pysanky: eggs, wax, candles, paints and instruments for drawing, which she had made herself before. She also showed Easter eggs that she had created before and at the end of this event she gave them to students for remembrance of Ukraine.
All students were very happy to take part in the workshop and thanked Olha for coming and giving them a chance to have a new experience of making Easter eggs.
