What is a Ukrainian Easter egg called?

A Ukrainian Easter egg is called a pysanka. The plural form is pysanky, and the name comes from the Ukrainian verb pysaty, meaning “to write.”

Traditional pysanky are made with a wax-resist technique. A design is drawn onto an uncooked egg with melted beeswax, then the egg is dipped into dyes from lightest to darkest. Removing the wax reveals the preserved colors and intricate pattern beneath. A small funnel-tipped stylus called a pysachok is commonly used to apply the wax.

Pysanky are more than decorative eggs: they are an important Ukrainian cultural symbol associated with spring, renewal, protection, and Christian Easter. Different regions and families developed distinctive colors, motifs, and symbolic meanings. They are often confused with krashanky, which are simply hard-boiled eggs dyed a single color, or with painted eggs made using brushes. Pysanky are traditionally “written” with wax rather than painted.