Poiana Brașov

Painting eggs – art and tradition

 width=Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, is approaching, igniting in our souls the light of love, understanding, and self-reconciliation. Christians from all over the world forget for a moment the daily monotony in which we sink, they stop from the hurry to nowhere and remember the true significance of this celebration.

Red eggs, browned sweet bread, Easter bun with lots of cheese, the Resurrection ceremony, the traditional “Christ is Risen” define and give charm to Easter.

The Romanians, a people with a golden soul, sparkling mind and defined by faith, have transformed the traditional red Easter eggs into a true art. Painting eggs has become a tradition, true housewives being proud of their works of art, representing splashes of soul painted in a unique way on the fragile egg.

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The eggs are painted on Maundy Thursday or on Good Friday, representing a holy custom. It is said that each decoration tells a story characteristic of the geographical area. The colors used to paint the chosen story have different meanings. Thus red, the dominant color, signifies life, white purity, yellow the sun’s rays, blue the immensity of the sky.

The painting on an egg is dominated by vertical lines, the symbol of life, horizontal lines symbolizing death, doubled straight lines representing eternity or wavy lines suggesting purity. Thus, the engraving comes to life, being drawn the sign of the cross, stars, sun, folkloric models, which convey joy, humility and praise the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.

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The painting of the eggs is a real proof of skill and patience, following some well-defined steps. Thus, eggs washed, wiped with vinegar, are put to boil, on low heat so that the shell does not crack. Meanwhile, the colors are prepared in different vessel, either from plants or synthetic products. With a pen, made either from a goose feather or from the heated end of a candle, outline the chosen drawing with black ink on a boiled, wiped and cooled egg. After which, with great care, the egg is painted with floral or ornamental symbols. At the end, the egg is inserted into the bowl containing the color chosen as background. This is the simplest way of painting, called monochrome.

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The techniques used, which bring the egg painting to the level of art, are much more complicated and contain many secrets, which enhance the mystery behind the miracle of such an egg.

With beautifully painted eggs, by the hands of the most skilled housewives, with a multitude of goodies specific to Easter, in a humble and faith-filled atmosphere, Hotel Alpin invites you to crack an egg and say together “Christ is Risen”.

“The treasure of the soul as well as of the mind is to love in order to forgive!”

Happy Easter!

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Source: S1 , S2, S3, S4 , S5