{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreibgzmeslvmbcmzgn267wodn2ummipmdapi5bn65lstgwts2fm5r2e",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:jo3wjj2gx46alocis4wubmwr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuoehez4rp2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreidrl726d7gpvjsyzhmrrqharlmwt6fcclvp5bzhveoyta7wloraqa"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 4447456
  },
  "path": "/2026/05/02/reflections-on-the-ukrainian-candle-easter-egg-painting-workshop-ukraine-diplomacy-month-in-malaysia-2026/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-02T11:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://diff.wikimedia.org",
  "tags": [
    "Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia",
    "pysanky",
    "to\nwrite",
    "tradition",
    "absorbed into Easter observance",
    "symbolic",
    "Colour",
    "carrier\nof meaning",
    "symbolic grammar",
    "Ruzha"
  ],
  "textContent": "On Wednesday, 8 April 2026, I had the privilege of attending a Ukrainian Candle Easter Egg Painting Workshop at City University in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, as one of the Wikimedians representing \nWikimedia Community User Group Malaysia (WCUGM). It was hosted by the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia, supported by the EU Delegation in Malaysia.\n\n## Pysanky as a tradition\n\nThis workshop was an immersive introduction to pysanky, one of Ukraine’s oldest and most symbolically rich artistic traditions, and an occasion to consider the cultural resilience that sustains such practices across centuries of history.\n\nThe word (plural: pysanky) derives from the Ukrainian verb pysaty, meaning to\nwrite. Rather than being decorated in any casual or ornamental sense, pysanky are, in the truest meaning of the word, written upon. Each line and motif constitutes an element of a deliberate visual language whose origins lie in pre-Christian Ukrainian folk culture. The \ntradition considerably predates the Christianisation of Ukraine and was subsequently \nabsorbed into Easter observance, within which it has endured as a central and abiding expression of seasonal and spiritual meaning.\n\nA painted an Easter Egg Candle by me. _(Author: Wiki Asmah, CC BY SA 4.0)_.\n\n## **_The symbolism of pysanky motifs_**\n\nThe Easter candle egg motifs to paint. (_Author: Wiki Asmah CC BY 4.0)_.\n\nBefore the workshop started, we were provided with a presentation of the history and background of the pysanky tradition. It was an illuminating aspect of the workshop, as we learned the \nsymbolic vocabulary underpinning pysanky design. Far from being arbitrary ornamentation, each motif carries established meaning, the product of generations of cultural transmission and refinement. For example, the sun is among the oldest motifs in pysanky, representing life and light. The Infinite, depicted through a wave motif, serves as a protective symbol believed to trap and ward off evil. Oak leaves are emblems of masculine strength and endurance.\n\n\nColour, too, operates as a carrier\nof meaning within this tradition. Red signifies life and vitality; black — contrary to its associations in many Western contexts—represents the fertility of the earth and an honouring of those who have passed; yellow evokes the generosity of the harvest sun; and green speaks to the renewal of growth. A single pysanka constitutes an entire statement of intent and aspiration for its tradition.\n\nShowcasing our candle egg results with Wiki Farazzi. (_Author: Wiki Asmah CC BY 4.0_).\n\nMy own completed egg bore an eight-pointed flower at its centre, flanked by four diamond shapes which I painted in gold and pink, each framing a grey interior. According to the \nsymbolic grammar of pysanky, the composition expressed a wish for enlightenment, abundance, and protection. The embossed surface of the candle wax added a further tactile dimension. The raised patterns caught and reflected the candlelight in a manner that felt wholly appropriate to the tradition. For instance, the flower shape in the middle of the egg candle is known as \nRuzha, which represents the Sun God, Dazhboh.\n\n## The painting workshop\n\nParticipants were introduced to the candle easter egg that was crafted by the wife of the Ukrainian Ambassador in Malaysia. She handmade the egg candle out of soy wax and used a candle mold in two designs. I personally chose the bigger egg candle with the geometric motif embossed to paint.\n\nThe process proceeds with me trying to paint the egg candle in careful sequence, from the lightest colour to the darkest—gold, pink, then yellow, green, red, and finally brown. That was a technique that required not only patience and precision, but a willingness to trust a process because the results remain invisible until the very last moment.\n\nThe workshop was modest in setting but significant in its delivery. It offered participants an opportunity to engage directly with this tradition. Over 20 people from diverse backgrounds took part, and the focus in the room reflected just how much this kind of hands-on cultural experience resonates with people. The WCUGM also took the moment to promote an upcoming event, Ukraine’s Cultural Diplomacy Month 2026 Edit-a-thon, happening on 23rd April 2026 at the same venue.\n\nFinally, although I do not consider myself to be artistic, to sit with a stylus, water colour, and an egg candle, and to attempt, however humbly, to participate in a practice that stretches back millennia was a genuinely instructive experience. To paint a pysanka is to add one’s voice to a conversation of peace that has been ongoing for thousands of years.\n\nPresenting my pysanka to Maryna, who is the main organizer of the workshop and is also the representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia. _(Author: Wiki Asmah, CC BY 4.0)_.",
  "title": "Reflections on the Ukrainian Candle Easter Egg Painting Workshop:\nUkraine Diplomacy Month in Malaysia 2026"
}