On Easter, Christians from Romania attend the religious service at the church. After the midnight office, they return home holding candles in their hands. They say a prayer, drink a glass of red wine and eat painted eggs. The Romanian ritual of eggs painting is very elaborated and it takes a lot of attention and dedication.
Delicate Handicraft
In Brasov there are several groups specialized in the eggs painting practice, acting in both rural and urban areas. There are many workshops functioning around churches and monasteries, the cultural centres, and among the pupils community. One of this workshops-schools is ?St. Andrew? Mini-village within "Andrei Saguna" National College, who opened subsidiaries on other highschools in Brasov. Thanks to the experience accumulated under the guidance of professor Ioan Apan, students of ?Andrei Saguna? College visited the village Fantana of Hoghiz commune to teach the local children the traditional handicraft of painting the eggs.
Beeswax and special Tools
In order to bring the ancient handicraft in present days, the workshop-school's members used monographs from Þara Barsei, wherefrom they took the models to be paint on the eggs. Each egg must be personalized and the models are 200 years old. Unfortunately, the elders knowing the secrets of this traditional art are not among us anymore. The tradition has been given to the youngsters ?We wash the egg first; then we empty it using a syringe, before lubricate the egg with beeswax. The drawing is made with a special tool. The egg passes through different colour baths and the wax is removed under the flame. People used to eat once event the egg shell? told us Mihai Anton, member of the workshop-school.
The event of Fantana village was closed by a folkloric show performed by the scholars of ?Andrei Saguna? and ?Nicolae Titulescu? Colleges; the audience had the chance to admire beautiful Romanian popular costumes and amazing painted eggs. The members of ?St. Andrew? workshop-school recently attended the only eggs painting contest, organized on Easter in Bucovina-Ciocanesti. Although 109 adults have been among the participants, the youngsters of Brasov won the contest. On Holly Week they will make an eggs painting demonstration in three churches of Paris-France.