Folk Pysanky from Central Ukrainian Regions

Reproduced from "Magpie Feet" from Vira Manko's The Ukrainian Folk Pysanka (Table 35, No. 19), Poltava Province. Poltava is known for its brighter colors, particularly green, yellow, and red. This pysanka is divided into eighths and utilizes a motif, also common in other regions, of diagonally placed botanical or geometric subjects. Here, the subject looks like flowers but the name associated with the pattern suggests otherwise!

Reproduced from "Bokova Rozha" or "Side Rose" from  Zenon Elyjiw's Sixty Score of Easter Eggs (Table 25, No. 3), Kyiv Province. Pysanka from Kyiv tend to favor the yellow, red, black color scheme and feature both geometrical and plant motifs. "Rose" is only used in the abstract sense, even the word "Rozha" actually translates to mallow flower. The "side rose" division divides the pysanka first in two with a median line, and then the resulting two spaces into eight wedges. I wish I had also photographed the side of this pysanka, as it features kucheri, or "curls." 

Reproduced from Vira Manko's The Ukrainian Folk Pysanka (Table 38, No. 6), Kirovohrad province. This pysanka is divided into eighths with a cross pattern. On top of that, it almost resembles a "side rose" turned so that the "roses" face the top and the bottom of the egg (again, wish I took a picture of that view). The pink color may be too pink here for a true reproduction, with the original photograph looking slightly more red.

These pysanky were featured in the class I recently taught at the Pysanky USA retreat. They are not exactly great representatives of their provinces, but were chosen with the intention of introducing the students to many different folk divisions as well as different ethnographic regions in Ukraine.