Resurrection Eggs by Kathy Grimm. Two more versions of this graphic in monochromatic colors are included below.
One purple and one in red, both are colors typically use in Orthodox Christian Congregations during Easter.
The art of the decorated egg in Ukraine, or the pysanka, probably dates back to ancient times. No actual ancient examples exist, as eggshells are fragile.
As in many ancient cultures, Ukrainians worshipped a sun god (Dazhboh). The sun was important – it warmed the earth and thus was a source of all life. Eggs decorated with nature symbols became an integral part of spring rituals, serving as benevolent talismans.
In pre-Christian times, Dazhboh was one of the main deities in the Slavic pantheon; birds were the sun god’s chosen creations, for they were the only ones who could get near him. Humans could not catch the birds, but they did manage to obtain the eggs the birds laid. Thus, the eggs were magical objects, a source of life. The egg was also honored during rite-of-Spring festivals––it represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers.
With the advent of Christianity, via a process of religious syncretism, the symbolism of the egg was changed to represent, not nature’s rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose. With the acceptance of Christianity in 988, the decorated pysanka, in time, was adapted to play an important role in Ukrainian rituals of the new religion. Many symbols of the old sun worship survived and were adapted to represent Easter and Christ’s Resurrection.
In modern times, the art of the pysanka was carried abroad by Ukrainian emigrants to North and South America, where the custom took hold, and concurrently banished in Ukraine by the Soviet regime (as a religious practice), where it was nearly forgotten. Museum collections were destroyed both by war and by Soviet cadres. Since Ukrainian Independence in 1991, there has been a rebirth of the art in its homeland.
The graphics above depict a pansanka (pansky) that symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ. The design was configured by me, however, I used pansanka symbols together to illustrate the meaning. Above the cross of Christ is a descending dove and above this is a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Christ’s cross is white on red, symbolizing the blood atonement He made e.i. the passion of Christ for his church. The two other crosses of those who died with him one, a lost sinner, the other a saved sinner are depicted with crosses set against yellow. Yellow is symbolic for the perpetuation of family on pansanky eggs, and so those who are lost or those who are saved perpetuate their own offspring continually until Christ returns. The green in my design represents hope and the net pattern or “sieve” represents the division between good and evil i.e. the division between those who follow Christ and those who elect to follow their own lusts. Feel free to use the design on your own eggs this Easter. I will include a little graphs of Christian pansky designs on my blog here in the near future.
