Ukrainian Eggs

Figure A--This unique art dates back 6,000 years. Decorating eggs was how Ukrainians guaranteed the return of spring. The designs all have a different, distinct meaning and are usually symmetric.

Figure B--The design of the eggs reflects the rich history of the Ukrainian people. For example, wheat is the life's work of the Ukrainian peasant, and it has been they who have fed much of eastern Europe. Circles are a revered shape and it is believed that no evil can penetrate that which has no beginning and no ending.

Figure C--The eggs contain six colors--all of them significant--but together they are the colors of nature. Getting the color on the egg is the real trick, however. Starting with a plain, white egg, a special tool filled with wax is used to draw the design on the egg. Then it is placed in yellow dye, with the sections covered in wax won't take the dye. From yellow, the artist goes to green, then orange and so on. Once the egg is completed, the wax is melted off.