In some Orthodox countries there is a tradition of skilfully
painting eggs before Easter. The tradition is very vivid in areas of Romania
like Bukovina (the Nordic part of Moldova). A legend has it that when Jesus Christ
was crucified, Mary Magdalene came at the feet of the cross with a basket of
food she had bought. The blood of the Lord dropped over the eggs in the basket,
turning them red. Following this legend, Christians in the East started
painting eggs in red in the Thursday before Easter. This is still done in every
Romanian family, using a simple method, by dipping the boiled eggs into a pot
with food dye.
But of hundreds of years, in villages of Bukovina, this custom was turned into an art. To paint the eggs, the peasants don’t use synthetic dyes, but rather natural herbs. They can obtain red from apple leaves, madder, wild rose, green from walnut leaves, sunflower, yellow from peel onions, privet, blue from violet flowers, black from nutshell and alder. The decorations are usually geometric, various shapes of flowers and animals, but got to the point where entire icons like “The last supper” or “Madonna with Child” were painted on an hen egg. To achieve this, the peasants use the simplest tool (called kishitze), a stick with an iron tip. With this, they apply molten wax on the desired pattern of the first color. Then they dip the egg in the lightest color to be used. When heated, the protective wax melts away, and a new pattern can be added. Then another dip in a different color, and so on.
As these little works of art began to be collected, popular artists are preparing them for the buyers. The substance of the egg is taken out through a tiny hall before boiling, so the crust is more resistant in time.
The symbolic aspect of painting and knocking eggs on Easter is far more important than the folkloric aspect later developed.
Eggs are nowadays used
mostly for decoration, but also for ‘knocking’. People knock an egg against one
belonging to another family member, or a close friend. The one whose egg
doesn’t crack is the winner. They call out ‘Hristos a înviat!’ (‘Christ has
risen!’) and the others answer: ‘Adevarat a înviat!’ (‘It’s true He has
risen!’).But of hundreds of years, in villages of Bukovina, this custom was turned into an art. To paint the eggs, the peasants don’t use synthetic dyes, but rather natural herbs. They can obtain red from apple leaves, madder, wild rose, green from walnut leaves, sunflower, yellow from peel onions, privet, blue from violet flowers, black from nutshell and alder. The decorations are usually geometric, various shapes of flowers and animals, but got to the point where entire icons like “The last supper” or “Madonna with Child” were painted on an hen egg. To achieve this, the peasants use the simplest tool (called kishitze), a stick with an iron tip. With this, they apply molten wax on the desired pattern of the first color. Then they dip the egg in the lightest color to be used. When heated, the protective wax melts away, and a new pattern can be added. Then another dip in a different color, and so on.
As these little works of art began to be collected, popular artists are preparing them for the buyers. The substance of the egg is taken out through a tiny hall before boiling, so the crust is more resistant in time.
The symbolic aspect of painting and knocking eggs on Easter is far more important than the folkloric aspect later developed.
QUESTION 1: Who
paint eggs for Easter ?
a ) the orthodox
b ) the mussulman
c ) no one
QUESTION 2: In
which part of Romania,painting eggs is a very vivid tradition?
a ) in Oltenia
b ) in Bukovina
c ) in Transylvania
QUESTION 3 : Painting
eggs is.....?
a ) a very
difficult method
b ) an unknown
method
c ) a simple method
QUESTION
4 : To paint the eggs, the peasants use……?
a ) naturals herbs
b ) synthetic dyes
c ) stickers
QUESTION 5 : After painting,what
covered the eggs ?
a ) molten wax
b ) varnish
c ) melted sugar
By Prof. Liana Moraru
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