What does pisanka mean in Polish?
The word pisanka is derived from the verb ‘pisać’ which in contemporary Polish means exclusively ‘to write’ yet in old Polish meant also ‘to paint’. Originating as a pagan tradition, pisanki were absorbed by Christianity to become the traditional Easter egg.
What are pisanki eggs?
The 1,000-year-old Easter egg
- In Polish, Easter eggs are called pisanki (‘peace-AHN-keeh’), which comes from the verb pisać, or ‘to write’.
- The ‘pen’ in this process may be an ordinary needle or pin.
- While the batik technique is still practiced today, it is Poland’s oldest way of decorating pisanki.
What is the origin of the pisanki egg?
The custom of decorating eggs to celebrate Easter has existed for centuries throughout Poland. The word “pisanki” is commonly used to name Easter eggs and derives from the Polish verb pisać meaning “to write” (also “to paint” in older times). Traditionally, the designs were painted during Lent.
Is pysanka Polish?
A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist method.
Why do Polish people paint Easter eggs?
On the Saturday before Easter Sunday, Poles paint hard-boiled eggs (called pisanki). Egg painting is encountered in several other Slavic cultures, and is thought to date back to talismanic pagan rituals that are over 5000 years old. Another Saturday activity is the preparation of Easter baskets.
What is in a Polish Easter basket?
Lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood (bukszpan), the baskets contain a sampling of Easter foods: pisanki, a piece of sausage or ham, salt and pepper, bread, a piece of cake and an Easter Lamb made of sugar or even plastic. They are brought to church to be blessed.
Why do Ukrainians paint eggs?
The tradition is called pysanky — the beautiful painted Easter eggs that were originally created to bless every part of life in Ukraine as talismans of prosperity, fertility, healing and protection, long life and bounty. “The religious symbols (painted on the eggs) started after Christ.”
Where did the Easter egg tree originate?
While this technicolor tradition may seem cut from the cloth of a Southern story, it traces its roots to another country entirely—Germany. There, it’s known as Ostereierbaum, or Easter egg trees. It’s also popular in neighboring Poland, Austria, and Hungary.
What are decorated Russian eggs called?
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is one of the jewelled eggs made by Peter Carl Fabergé and his company between 1885 and 1917. The most famous are those made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II. They were Easter gifts for their wives and mothers, and are called the ‘Imperial’ Fabergé eggs.
What do you put in Polish Easter basket?
In the basket there is usually some bread, eggs, ham, lamb-shaped cake, sausages, salt, horseradish, ćwikła and nowadays also chocolate. The baskets are decorated with white serviettes and flowers or willow branches.
Is Easter big in Poland?
In Poland, a country where Roman-Catholic religious practices are still widely present, Easter happens to be one of the most beautiful celebrations in the calendar.