Ukraine’s ancient Easter egg art helps preserve national identity

Last updated:
31 minutes ago

In Lviv, families are attending workshops during Holy Week to learn the wax‑and‑dye technique, while the city’s Pysanka Museum draws visitors eager to reconnect with a tradition that dates back 2,000 to 3,000 years.

The custom matters beyond Easter itself, as many Ukrainians now see it as part of a wider effort to preserve national identity and pass on cultural practices shaped by both faith and history.

Artist Vira Manko, who has studied pysanky for 40 years and painted more than 3,000 herself, teaches participants how to sketch patterns, apply hot wax and dip the eggs from the lightest to the darkest dye.

Traditionally made between Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday, pysanky feature stars, crosses, infinity signs and fertility motifs.

Their symbolism has gained fresh resonance as Ukraine increasingly embraces traditions distinct from Russia, including a growing shift in religious calendars since 2022.