Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future: The Pysanka Festival's Role in Cultivating Ukrainian-American Identity

Every Easter, the Ukrainian Culture Center in LA put on the Pysanka Festival. I’m always eager to learn about other peoples and cultures. I know very little about Ukraine, so I was excited to attend this Easter event. 

We decided to go to the Ukrainian Art Center before the event at the Culture Center. The lovely Daria Chaikovsky founded the Art Center, which is home to many Ukrainian artifacts, traditional décor, Christmas decorations, jewelry and paintings. Daria told me that after the Cold War had ended, it was much easier to bring items from Ukraine to the U.S.

I was exploring the art center when I looked through a small window where I could see a dance room. Onstage were dancers performing their routine. The stage was amazing. There was a large, beautifully designed golden arch that shimmered in the room’s light. Something about watching the performance through the small window felt like I was transported back in time. I’m glad I took a detour to the arts center.

We headed downstairs to the Pysanka Festival. A pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg that’s decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs. The designs are not painted but inscribed with beeswax using the wax-resist method. In Ukraine, each region, village, and family have their own ritual, with its unique symbols, meanings, and special formulas for dyeing eggs. These special techniques are passed down from mother-to-daughter over generations.

The Ukrainian Easter eggs at the festival were absolutely beautiful. I'd never seen Easter eggs like this before. These eggs were very elaborate. The colors were vibrant, and the tiny, repeating designs and motifs were incredibly detailed. It shows in their work that many hours go into creating pysanka.

There were workshops for both adults and children interested in making their own pysanka. I wanted to learn more about what goes into making these eggs, so I attended the workshop. I learned from experience how difficult it really is to create an impressive pysanka. I also loved watching how dedicated the other students were, especially the children. It was heartwarming to see mothers take pride in her child(ren) learning about their heritage.

I saw men and women wearing vibrant, embroidered shirts and blouses. These traditional Ukrainian shirts are called vyshyvanka. I came to find out that embroidery is an ancient and symbolic tradition in Ukraine. These garments are worn in traditional Ukrainian weddings and other celebrations. Each region has a unique style. Everything from the colors used to the type of stitching is unique to the region it originates from. Embroidery is thought of as a woman’s task and it’s an important art to many Ukrainian women. 

Quite a few of the men and women I spoke to told me that their mothers or grandmothers made their vyshyvanka and that you shouldn’t expect to find them in stores. But they made an exception for the festival where you could purchase a vyshyvanka. 

There was also a booth where you could buy handmade gerdan, which are traditional beaded necklaces that reminded of Sarawakian necklaces. There were other booths with small, wooden replicas of ancient and medieval weapons for sale.

At one of the booths, I had a conversation with a Polish woman who was there to help her friend manage the booth. She talked about how the Polish and Ukrainian communities are quite close and have, historically, helped each other. “The borders all get blurred,” as she put it. I felt great learning about these women who celebrated unity across cultures.

For entertainment, there was a poetry reading, concerts, and dance performances. The musicians wore a mix of traditional Ukrainian and modern clothing. Some children performed traditional Ukrainian dances. Then, there was a singer who I thought looked a lot like Frida and was very expressive.

As for food, I did get to try some traditional Ukrainian cuisine. I ate some varenyky (fried dumpling) filled with mashed potato and they were quite good. 

Finally, I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Budilo, the president of the Holodomor Committee, and Barbara, his very kind wife who’s got extensive experience in pysanka. Paul told me about the significance of the Easter festival and about the importance of holding onto their Ukrainian heritage in the U.S. 

As someone new to Ukrainian culture, the Pysanka Festival was a perfect introduction (and a really fun way to celebrate Easter). Learning about the incredible pysanka tradition alone made the trip worthwhile. I hope to learn more about Ukraine and its history and culture in the future.

#3rdCulture #EastMeetsWest