Egg painting is an ancient ancient custom that has survived to this day. In ancient times, a symbolic egg, decorated by the mother while waiting for the baby, was hidden in the baby's cradle. It was believed that a painted testicle would protect the baby from unkind looks. Pysanka acted as a gift for the newlyweds, it was used to commemorate those who passed away.
A bit of history
Painting eggs is truly a folk rite. Traditionally, women painted them by hand, in solitude. Water for painting was taken from seven sources or at the junction of three streams. At the time of painting, the woman had to completely immerse herself in work in order to make patterns with good emotions and good wishes to those who would be the owners of the Easter eggs.
Most Easter eggs were created in the spring, during the solstice. There was a belief that painting eggs with red paints at this time helps the sun to gain vitality before the long summer.
DIY pysanka
If desired, almost anyone can learn the craft of painting eggs. You can do this yourself, or by contacting an experienced master.
If you decide to start painting eggs, first prepare everything you need. To work you will need: an egg, a pencil, a candle, a brush (a special tool for painting), wax and a napkin.
First you need to wash the egg and boil it with salt water (for 2 liters of water, 1 tablespoon of salt). An egg intended for long-term storage must be hollow, so if you want to preserve your creation for a long time, make small punctures in the shell and carefully remove the contents of the egg, then rinse and dry it.
To create Easter eggs, it is recommended to use only natural paints. For example, green dye is obtained from nettle and lily of the valley leaves, or buckthorn and ash bark. Yellow paint is made from chamomile inflorescences and onion husks, and red from bird cherry berries or seeds and flowers of St. John's wort. Black paint is obtained if you take the roots of alder, and brown is obtained from the bark of an oak or apple tree.
To create the paint itself, it is necessary to soak the proposed plant material in cold water for a couple of hours. After this time, the resulting solution should be boiled over low heat: water with bark for about 3 hours, with leaves for 40 minutes, and plant inflorescences should be boiled for about half an hour.
Strain the broth and add 1 teaspoon of potassium alum to it. Such vegetable paint can be stored for no more than fourteen hours, so you should not stock up on it for future use.
A brush (scribbler) can be bought in a specialty store for creativity. If you can't find the right tool, you can try using a thin nail brush.
Apply the desired pattern to the shell, first with a pencil, and then with warmed wax, being careful not to go beyond the pattern lines. Then dip the egg into the lightest color you have prepared.
The next step is to reapply the wax and dip the egg into a darker paint. Such procedures are performed until the selected pattern is obtained. At the end of the painting, the Easter egg is placed in the oven or is briefly held over the candle. The remaining wax must be carefully removed with a napkin. In order for the finished Easter egg to acquire a beautiful shine, it is rubbed with sunflower oil.
