“Pysanka” Egg Decorating Workshop with Moki Kokoris

A delicate craft thousands of years old, the “pysanka” is a Ukrainian egg decorated with traditional folk designs using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word ‘pysanka’ comes from the verb ‘pysaty,’ meaning “to write” because the intricate designs are not painted, but rather written on the egg shell with melted beeswax. Every symbol and color applied has its own specific meaning. It is believed that some pysanky could even protect households by trapping evil spirits deep within spiral motifs. Other geometric designs were stylized representations of wishes: pine needles for eternal youth, the sun for long life, antlered deer for prosperity, poppies for beauty, birds for fertility and wolves’ teeth zig-zags for loyalty and wisdom. Why not try your hand at making a pysanka? Join us at the table and write your own story on your own egg! Ages 12 and up.