The word pysanky (plural of pysanka) is derived from the Ukrainian verb to “write” or “inscribe.” In fact, the designs
are not painted on the eggs but created using beeswax and the batik method.
The eggs are dipped repeatedly in different coloured dyes.
The Hutsuls — ethnic Ukrainians who live in the
Carpatian Mountain highlands
in western Ukraine—believe that the fate of
the world depends upon the pysanka.
If, for any reason, this custom is abandoned, evil—in the shape of a horrible serpent who is forever chained to a cliff—will overrun
the world. Each year the serpent sends out his minions to see how many pysanky have been written.
If the number is low the serpent's chains are loosened and he is free to wander the earth causing havoc and destruction.
If, on the other hand, the number of pysanky has increased, the chains are tightened and good triumphs over evil for yet another year.