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Posted by Kerry Kubilius Mar 9, 2007 |
If you have been keeping up with the articles posted at Eastern European History, you know that Easter eggs play an important role in yearly springtime rituals. No one really knows how old this tradition is, but it certainly dates back to pre-Christian Eastern Europe. Eastern Europeans today will even acknowledge the inherent pagan symbolism contained within egg decorating rituals and other practices that may be less common but still alive - at least in memory.
Polish Easter customs and Ukrainian Easter customs are similar, just as is their manner of decorating eggs. However, Ukrainian pysanky can be differentiated from Polish pisanki by symbols and colors used.
Bulgarians use mainly red-colored eggs. Many of the customs surrounding these eggs are no longer practiced, or are practiced for fun. Written records and personal anecdotes have been instrumental in giving researchers information about how integral the dying, giving, and other uses of eggs was to Bulgarian Easter.