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14 OUR LIFE • March-April 2023 Known for millennia as a symbol of life and rebirth, and as a talisman offering protection from evil and misfortune, for the past year the pysanka has also become a symbol of hope: hope for Ukraine’s victory against russia, and for the rebirth of the country from the ashes of war. Conceived by ethnographer and artist Sofika Zielyk, in partnership with the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations and the Ukrainian Institute of America, The Pysanka: A Symbol of Hope exhibition at the Institute is both a defiant response to russia’s brutal aggression, to its determination to destroy the people and culture of Ukraine, T he Pysanka: A Symbol of Hope The Pysanka (from the Ukrainian pysaty , meaning to write ; plural: pysanky) Pysanky originated on the territory of present-day Ukraine thousands of years ago as a pagan spring ritual. Decorating eggs with symbolic motifs was believed to hasten the return of the sun god and the rebirth of nature after a long, dark winter. In fact, people believed that the fate of the world depended on the pysanka. Among the inhabitants of the Carpathian Mountains, for example, legend has it that an evil monster remains chained in a mountainside cave as long as eggs continue to be decorated each year. If the adornment of eggs ceases, the monster will be able to break his chains, escape from the cave, and wreak destruction on the world. Because of their magical powers, pysanky were also regarded as talismans – protection from evil, disease, fire, and other misfortune. When Ukraine accepted Christianity in 988 AD, many aspects of paganism were incorporated into the new religion. The pysanka transitioned from a spring ritual to a celebration of Easter. and a confirmation of the strength and ultimate survival of the Ukrainian people. “The essence of this project,” says Sofika, a member of UNWLA Branch 64, “is to show the world, to show ourselves and to show the aggressor, that we have been here all along. We remain here, and we will always be here.” That sense of community is at the heart of this initiative, which from its inception in the spring of 2022 has invited people around the world – people of all ages and backgrounds, Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike – to enrich the installation by contributing their own pysanky. The collective exhibition is thus a living and evolving endeavor that has continued to grow in size and in symbolic power, now numbering more than 500 pysanky from nine different countries. The pysanky are laid out on a rough woven burlap cloth that covers a large wooden stand, evoking affinity with the earth. The pysanky are placed randomly, with no particular artist-participant or specific egg highlighted. “It simply shows strength in numbers,” Sofika explains, “a primeval, cultural strength.” A rushnyk (ritual cloth), a talisman against evil, decorates one section of the exhibit. Other traditional elements from Ukrainian mythology At pysanka-decorating workshops across the U.S., participants have created their own pysanky, which have then been added to the installation. also embellish the installation. Always-green barvinok (peri- winkle) appears as a symbol of everlasting life. The kalyna (guelder rose), with its deep red berries, represents beauty and is the unofficial symbol of Ukraine. A wheat stalk denotes Ukraine as the breadbasket of Europe. A candle wrapped in red ribbon honors all the souls, military and civilian, who have perished in the war. In the final phase of this project, all the pysanky will be brought to Ukraine, where they will be incorporated into the same ancient renewal rituals practiced by our ancestors for thousands of years. Egg shell fragments will be mixed in with animal feed for healthier livestock, buried in the ground for a bountiful harvest, put in beehives for an endless flow of honey, built into the four corners of new homes as protection against evil. Pysanky will also be placed in the graves of children murdered during the war, so that they will have something to play with in the afterlife. But this time, the rituals will be performed not to hasten the return of the sun god after winter, but to ensure the rebirth of the nation from the ashes of war. For more about The Pysanka: A Symbol of Hope and its curator, Sofika Zielyk, visit https:// pysanka.ukrainianinstitute.org/.
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