Techniques for Easter eggs colouring

"Earth is the ovule, life is a chicken ..."

Techniques for Easter eggs colouring

The biggest Christian holiday – Easter (bg:Velikden) is approaching. There are two things that people usually connect with this holiday - wonderful aromatic and delicious cakes and colourful Easter eggs. Specially prepared Easter eggs have a ritual meaning, because the egg is seen as a symbol of life, of the renewal process in nature...

In the tradition exists two major types of decorated festive eggs: coloured in single colour and decorated or painted. The second type are known in popular terminology as "written", "striped", "colourful", "picturesque", "washed" and others.

There are several techniques that we can use to "mottle" our Easter eggs.

The most common and oldest technique is wax. For this purpose a special instrument called a "pen" - a wooden "penholder" with attached "nib" in the form of a coiled in roll thin silver coin, in the gutter which runs down pre-heated pure beeswax or wax from home-made candles. With this "pen" or a candle the desired ornaments are drawn over the egg, which is then immersed in red paint.

Another method of decorating is to line decoration on previously painted eggs. This decoration is a "posy" of single or multicoloured wool or cotton threads.

Easter eggs can be decorated with chicken / duck or hen feather, dipped in various paint. More common methods of Easter eggs decoration are the mottling of white eggs by immersion in paint mixed with oil and the colouring of white eggs with adherent geranium leaves or other foliage placed in thin net.

Whichever way we choose to colour the eggs, let us stand by the old tradition to paint the first egg in red and with it to rub the cheeks, nose and forehead of children as a spell for health.