Decorated Easter eggs – folk art on eggshells

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.

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.

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Photo: Eva Tivadar

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.

In the footsteps of tradition

Although, in Slovenia, it is popular to follow modern trends, we are still very aware of our roots. We integrate tradition into modern experiences. Even when we cook, especially on holidays, we like to glance at our grandmothers’ recipes.