Happy Easter everyone!

lamus-dworski:

Examples of traditional oklejanki - a type of pisanki (decorated Easter eggs) from the region of Łowicz, central Poland [sources: 1,2,3,4].

Word pisanki is derived from the verb pisać (”to write” or in old Polish: “to paint”) as a reference to the old tradition of leaving messages or wishes on the eggs. The word oklejanki describes the type / method of decoration and comes from the verb oklejać (meaning: “to paste”+”to cover”) - they are being decorated by pasting small scraps of paper on the egg, similarly to the creation of traditional wycinanki (papercut art). Region of Łowicz has also a tradition of creating “mugs” [pictured 8&9] out of a wydmuszka (emptied eggshell) and paper.

Originating as an ancient pagan tradition, the custom of preparing pisanki was absorbed into Christianity. Nowadays, in a form of the “Easter eggs”, they are being put into the Easter baskets (remnants of old Slavic food offerings) for the blessing in churches on the Holy Saturday.