This Year's Lithuanian Easter Eggs

Last week we spent a few hours at a friend's house making Lithuanian Easter Eggs. It is quite an art and we are just beginners!

Wax is put onto the eggs using a stylus made out of a nail stuck into the eraser part of a pencil. There are many traditional designs. Only one stroke can be made with each dip of wax so the designs are made up of the single strokes.

Our friend has younger children begin with plastic eggs and melted crayons.

Here are the girls getting into the rhythm of dip stroke dip stroke. The tap, tap, tap of the stylus on the bottom of the can of wax is the only sound you hear while concentrating on your design.

Don't the eggs look beautiful!!

I think we had 16 or 18 different color dyes to choose from!

Here are some of the masterpieces our friend pulls out year after year.

We started with fresh eggs and then after we decorated them the insides were removed.

Here is an example of a Ukranian egg, which is much more complicated and time consuming.

After the wax is applied and the egg is dyed the wax has to be removed with the flame of a candle. One holds the egg up to the candle until a small area of wax melts and then you wipe the melted wax off with a rag. Round and round the egg you go until all the wax is removed.

Those who are more experienced can experiment with several different colors, applying wax in successive order to get designs with multiple colors showing through.

Oh the infinite ways to create beauty!

The children really got quite involved in their egg making and we came home with about 15 eggs which are now gracing our kitchen table and giving us something lovely to look at while we eat.

Celebrating Lithuania

Last week, just before launching into the marathon of doctor's appointments, two friends of mine had me over for lunch. They had prepared a feast to introduce me to the foods of their home country of Lithuania. I could not have had more fun! Entering into someone else's culture and getting a taste of life in another part of the world is a treasure that expands the heart and mind. 

We started with beet soup -- it is so pretty and delicious, not to mention good for you (although some might argue about the sourcream!)

The main meal included two kinds of rye bread, two kinds of potato salad (which goes by another name). The most traditional potato salad is the one with beets. We had polish sausages with sauerkraut and a potato pudding with onions and bacon as well as salad vegetables of tomatoes and cucumbers. Everything was delicious!!! It all went together so nicely and each of us lingered over the treat it was to enjoy this.

Another surprise was to find that my friends had decided to celebrate my birthday a month early. Alex had procured a special Lithuanian dessert all the way from Chicago. It came wrapped up like this:

It is known as a Napoleon Torte and it had layers of pastry, a cream filling, and apricot jam.

It tasted AMAZING!

Rita showed us her latest knitting -- so beautiful, and lovely merino wool too!

And Alex has been having fun with ruffle scarves -- aren't they pretty!

There were even presents!

The lunch went by far too fast and it was sad to leave that special moment and get on with life. But I am so thankful for the chance to taste some Lithuanian dishes and also to understand more of what the Lithuanian people have been through in the past 60 years with the Russian occupation and then finally freedom.

Lithuanian Easter Eggs

This week we had the opportunity to join some friends in learning to make Lithuanian Easter Eggs. I always feel very blessed and inspired when I learn about other cultures and get to experience something that belongs to that culture.

Aren't these eggs beautiful!!!

The eggs are decorated using wax, then died, and the wax is then melted off.

Our hostess had dozens and dozens of eggs, and tubs of dyes.

Here are the children using melted crayons to decorate plastic eggs -- a good first step in the learning process.

Here is the wax being melted off at the end.

I'm applying the hot wax to the egg in a design. This egg was dyed first, then the design applied. The dye was then wiped off with vinegar and re-dyed in a different color -- producing a two-colored plus white effect.

Everyone had a lot of fun!

Here are the eggs we took home with us:

This was certainly an example of someone sharing with others what they are passionate about in the art world. I so appreciated Daiva's taking the time to make this afternoon possible for us!