Happy Easter

I do enjoy Easter. Drawn from the traditions of my mother's Ukrainian-Canadian family there is customarily, ha, a lot to do. First, of course, Lent then tons of food all interspersed with egg making. I was my family's one-woman Pysanka tradition preservation society. This means I used to make a dozen eggs up every spring for blessing and giving away. For weeks before hand I would sit crossed legged squinting into a candle heating my kistka of beeswax and thinking of the Uke chicks that came before me: my grandmother; her mother; my grandfather's sisters; and, others many of whom had lives laid waste by wars or by Communism. I would work long into these nights considering my good fortunes over those of my predecessors in the many years gone on. It involved a lot of legs falling asleep and good bit of smoking in my prenatal days. These eggs looked like this:


This year no 'official' Pysanky... Eggs made up were only hard boiled Krashanky, not blown; they were for our family not for others and they weren't trotted off to church for blessing by the priest I am currently in debate with over the concept of church 'membership' -- that is so another post! This year's eggs were painted by my nuclear family (what's that 78% Anglo?) and looked like this:


Most beautiful eggs ever! And, shout out a big hooray to Baba and Auntie Olga for coming through with the traditional breads to keep it all mystical without much work on my part for this year. I wish you all the very best in the coming spring and summer seasons. I hope many of you have enjoyed special time with your families over the holidays and more specifically Happy Easter to my compatriots in the Christian quagmire, where applicable.