Handpainted eggs, nesting dolls photos...page 7

Pysanky, the Ukrainian custom of egg decorating, is traditionally done in the spring around Easter, but these can be made these designs any time of year.
What about giving a Pysanky-styled egg for best wishes on New Year's Day? Or, on a religious holiday about new beginnings and good wishes, or maybe on the first day of spring? Give one when a new baby is born or as a unique wedding gift. Or even to celebrate the first day of the school year.
Pysanky are typically made to be given to family members and respected outsiders. To give a pysanka is to give a symbolic gift of life, which is why the egg must remain whole. Furthermore, each design and color on the pysanka will likely have a deep, symbolic meaning.

Symbolism in Pysanky:
Geometric symbols - triangle (the Holy Trinity and the elements of air, fire, and water), diamonds (knowledge), curls (defense or protection), tripods (birth, life, and death). Dots became symbols of the tears of the Blessed Virgin; hearts represent love.
Fruit symbolizes continuity, good fellowship, solid and loyal love, and love of God. An apple or plum motif brings knowledge and health; cherry symbolizes feminine beauty; grapes represent brotherhood, goodwill, and long-lived and faithful love, as well as (together with wheat) the Holy Communion.
Flowers express the female principle, denoting wisdom, elegance, and beauty.
Birds represent the pushing away of evil; they symbolize fertility, the fulfillment of wishes, and a good harvest. Roosters are symbols of good fortune, masculinity, or the coming of dawn, and hens represent fertility.
Insects, spiders, and their webs symbolized perseverance, patience, and artistic talent. The butterfly is a symbol of a carefree childhood, as well as the journey of the soul into eternal happiness. Bees symbolized hard work and pleasantness and represented all the good insects that should not be killed.
Originally a symbol of health, fish eventually came to symbolize Jesus Christ, the "fisher of men." The fish represents abundance, Christian interpretations of baptism, sacrifice, the powers of regeneration, and Christ himself.
The snake or serpent symbol on a pysanka is said to bring protection from catastrophe.
Color symbolism:
White - signified purity, birth, light, rejoicing, virginity.
Yellow - youth, love, the harvest, and perpetuation of the family. It is the Christian symbol of reward and recognition.
Gold - Spirituality, wisdom.
Orange - The symbol of endurance, strength, and ambition. It is also the symbol of the everlasting sun.
Pink - Success, contentment.
Green - The color of fertility, health, and hopefulness; of spring, breaking bondage, freshness, and wealth.
Red is folklore's magical color, signifying action, charity, and spiritual awakening. It also represented the sun and the joy of life and love.
Blue represents blue skies or the air, good health, truth, and fidelity.
Purple - Represents fasting, faith, trust, and patience.
Brown - Represented Mother Earth and her bountiful gifts: earth, harvest, generosity.
Black - Represented constancy or eternity, the center of the Earth, the darkest time before dawn. Black also signified death, fear, and ignorance.

    Pysanky will be a nice decoration for your house or a unique gift for your relative or friend.