Ukrainian Easter Eggs Workshop

The Ukrainian Cultural Organization of Danbury will present its annual demonstration and workshop on making traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs on Sunday, April 6, from 2 to 5 pm, at the home of Olga Paproski, 5 Hattertown Road in Newtown.

The workshop will also include a talk on how the egg came to play such an important role – its history, traditions, symbols – during the Easter holiday.

All are welcome. Participants are asked to bring two or three white, whole, raw eggs, unblemished and at room temperature; a low candle holder, two short candles (six inches maximum), a soft-leaded pencil, and a small towel. Supplies will be available for purchase at the workshop for a small fee. Each participant will each take home a decorated egg, called Pysanka.

There will also be a display of decorated Easter eggs, some for sale, and some traditional Ukranian bread called paska.

Mrs Paproski will also give a short talk on how to make paska and the meaning and role of the bread and eggs during the easter holiday. She will tell about the traditional Ukrainian Easter dinner, including how Ukrainian ladies prepare a food basket to be brought to their church for blessing. She will discuss the foods included in these baskets, including special foods that are only prepared for the Easter holiday.

Mrs Paproski has been creating traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs since she was a young girl. She learned the customs from her mother, and has passed the rituals on to her own daughter and granddaughters.

Anyone interested in participating is asked to register. The workshop is open to all ages. Donation is $5 per participant. Contact Olga Paproski at 426-4017. Her home is in the Dodgingtown section of Newtown, just off Route 302.