I have been collecting hand-painted wooden Polish Easter eggs for probably more than 15 years now. Easter is my favorite holiday and I especially love decorated eggs. I was drawn to the brightly colored Polish eggs with their bold designs at the Broadway Market in Buffalo where thousands are on display at various vendors in the weeks before Easter. The displays themselves are amazing and it’s always fun to search for the perfect egg to take home. Almost no two are alike and because they are made of wood, they will last for generations.
The eggs symbolize spring, renewal, fertility and eternity and the colors are also symbolic. The “pysanky” egg decorating tradition goes back centuries and can vary by region. Ukrainian eggs, for example, are decorated with wax and dyes and are more intricate. They are also typically painted on a blown-out real egg.
I typically purchase two to four eggs each spring at the Broadway Market. Two for adding to my collection, and two for some of my children who collect, to put in their Easter baskets. The medium-sized eggs sell for two-for-five dollars and the larger sizes we see now are a little more expensive, two-for-six dollars, or four dollars each. Currently I have about two-dozen eggs in my collection.
I keep my collection on display all year in a lidded glass container in the kitchen. I enjoy putting it on my hutch in the dining room in late winter as a very first sign of spring. During Easter I will sometimes move the eggs to bowls, platters, baskets, and other containers so they can be seen more clearly.
