I hope your Easter day was a happy one.
An eggy day.
We can’t have eggs without chickens, and vice versa. A hen turns her egg nearly 50 times a day to keep the yolk from sticking to the side. She will lay 300 to 325 eggs per year. That’s a lot of turning.
Turning.
Eggs come in all different colors on the outside.
So I should note.
The act of painting eggs originates from a Ukrainian tradition.
They have troubles right now
”Slava Ukraini!” Glory to Ukraine! Glory to its warriors.
But before they had to worry about war, they thought about spirituality, for centuries.
According to many scholars, the art of “wax-resist egg decoration” in Ukrainian culture probably dates back to the pre-Christian era. They base their premise on the pre-Christian nature of the symbols used.
For countless generations, Ukrainians have been decorating eggs as a calling out to the Gods and Goddesses of health and fertility. Hence, the egg.
This traditional act of pysanka (“pih-sahn-kah”) is made by using wax and dyes, to color the eggs with intricate designs. A wonderful form of art. This tradition came to the United States when Ukrainian immigrants came to the U.S. and brought their mad skills with them.
So on this day, as we eat our leftovers of hams and cheesy potatoes, let us remember the people in Ukraine, who at this moment, are huddled in their basements, wondering when they will next get something to eat, and worrying that bombs may be on the way to destroy their homes. And their lives.
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“Wonder what day God created the egg? How should we know? We should not question. Our stay on earth is not for long. Let us rejoice and believe and give thanks. Eat an egg.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
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