Straznice Region
PAINTED EASTER EGGS
Eggs have always been considered symbols of life and fertility. That is why they were often used in rituals which should secure successful and abundant harvest. To enhance their magical property people started dying Easter eggs red (the colour of blood and life) or green (the colour of plants). The dyed eggs were then called “painted eggs” (in Czech “kraslice”) and they were often decorated with various characteristic symbols. For a long time the eggs used to be boiled first, since according to the tradition the magic was supposed to work only after the egg had been eaten.
Painted eggs from the village of Vnorovy are among the most famous in the Czech Republic. They are decorated with a special batik technique. The patterns are drawn with melted beeswax and later alternately covered by more wax and dyed, the basic first traditional dye being yellow. The parts which are meant to remain yellow are painted over with wax. The next step is dipping the egg in a different dye again, and then some parts are covered with wax, and so on until the egg is finished.
Easter eggs from Vnorovy
Since 1930s the painted eggs have become very popular Easter decorations. Some local women made them in large quantities and sold them in larger towns both at home and abroad. In Vnorovy the craft of making batik painted eggs is a living and valued tradition.
Contact
Vzdělávací a informační středisko Bílé Karpaty, o.p.s.
Marie Petrů
Tel.:518 322 545
e-mail:visbk@bilekarpaty.cz
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