04/05/2022
Sorbische Ostereier Tradition
It is that time of year again. Time for traditionally decorated Sorbian Eggs to begin taking pride of place in the Easter celebrations, and ward off evil spirits and misfortune.
Circles are symbols of the sun, while triangles can represent the wolves' teeth needed to ward off evil.
Or the wolves are symbolising the connection between father, mother and child, as they are family orientated animals ... living in packs. Usually made up of a male and female, offspring from previous years acting as "helper" wolves, and the current year's litter of pups.
In Sorbian culture each egg is thought of as a fertility symbol, and the complex techniques and designs for decorating them have been passed down through the generations for centuries.
A Slavic minority who live in eastern Germany, one Sorb tradition was rolling eggs over fields, to make the earth fertile and bring in a good harvest, but once Christianity arrived each egg, "jago" in Sorbian, had to be blessed before being rolled.
And this remains a part of their cultural heritage today.
Ukrainians have also been creating these miniature jewels for countless generations. Known as Pysanky, their designs date back to pre-Christian times, many to the early Slavic cultures. The ancient tradition calling out to the gods and goddesses for health, fertility, love, and wealth.
Photo credit: Petra Hanusch, an Easter egg painter, in her Sorbian Tracht...via ckx - lr-online.de
