Monday, December 16, 2013

Swallows with Leaf Sprigs




Loosely based on a Hutsul pysanka from Vira Manko's The Ukrainian Folk Pysanka (Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kosmach, Kosiv region; Table 15, No. 3).
On this pysanka:
Swallow: messenger of good news
Wave meander: wealth, baptism
Branch with leaves: spring, renewal
Oxen eye (concentric circles): protection for agriculture
Dots: seeds, drops of Christ's blood
Eight-pointed star: life force or sun symbol; God's love
Baskets: providing for others; plowed fields
Diamonds: knowledge
Flowers: charity and good will
Cross: sun and agricultural symbol (pagan) or the Christian cross -- on this pysanka, the cross is turned to resemble an "X" this is a St. Andrew's cross, a symbol of the patron saint of Ukraine



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