Folk art on Eggshells: Decorated Easter eggs

Easter eggs, a symbol of birth and resurrection

Easter is the largest Christian holiday, and Slovenia also has a rich tradition in observing it. Decorated eggs are a must among the holiday dishes on the table, these are dyed eggs symbolising Christ's resurrection, and the colour red symbolises his blood. Eggs appear in various cultures of the world and are one of the oldest symbols for new life and fertility. Just like in many other countries, Easter eggs are dyed and decorated in different ways. Every region has its own name for them, its own motifs, and methods. The decorating of eggs is a unique expression of folk art and craft skills that is passed on from generation to generation, and which has been preserved until today. We feature some of the most typical and most beautiful examples of Slovenian Easter eggs.

Decorated Easter eggs from Bela krajina

Artfully created Easter eggs, for which a special pen is used to apply wax and create ornamentation, are one of the most distinctive images of Bela Krajina. The Easter eggs from Adlešiči are the most well-known, as their tradition dates back more than 150 years. They are dyed black, and they depict motifs from the Bela Krajina environment. Those parts that are to be left undyed are protected with wax, which is applied using a special pen. The eggs are then submerged into natural dyes, and finally coated with lard, so that they have an even better gloss.

From an egg to pisanica - ‘drsanke’

In the area of Metlika, a different technique is used for eggs that are known as ‘drsanke’. Eggs are first cooked in red onion peel. A knife is then used to carve various motifs onto the dried eggs, most commonly religious motifs or motifs inspired by nature. Written signs can also be made.

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Prekmurje ‘remenice’

At first glance, the name might indicate yellow eggs (‘rumena’ means yellow in Slovenian), but the word ‘remen’ means red in Prekmurje. Just like the Easter eggs from Bela Krajina, the ‘remenice’ or ‘remenke’ Easter eggs are made using a special pen, called ‘trajtar’ or ‘klükec’ in Prekmurje, wax is applied onto the eggs, which are then dyed using natural dyes – just like in Bela Krajina, the dyes are black, red, and white. Motifs are mainly abstract geometrical decorations as well as floral motifs.

In addition to ‘remenice’, ‘škrabanke’ are also made in Prekmurje. Just like ‘drsanke’, they are made with an opposite process. The eggs are first dyed, bands are made, and then various plant motifs are scratched into them.

Easter egg decoration methods using natural dyes

Today, everyone has their own way of dyeing eggs. The most popular method for dyeing eggs is using onion peels. Usually, spring plants and flowers are placed onto the eggs, e.g. clovers, various types of grass, and grass herbs. Together, they are wrapped into a gauze or a nylon stocking, submerged into water with onion peels, and cooked. Other ingredients found at home can also be used as dyes: turmeric or carrots can be yellow dye, coffee can be brown dye, red cabbage or blueberries can be blue dye, and beet can be a light pink dye. It is also popular to dye eggs in Teran wine, which gives eggs a dark purple tint with tiny grains. Spinach and stinging nettle leaves are also used as natural dye.

Creativity on eggshells

Are you tempted to artistically decorate an Easter egg yourself? Join craft workshops on decorating Easter eggs where you’ll learn traditional procedures and be able to express your own imagination.

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