ORCHARD LAKE, Mich. – With Easter just a little over two weeks away, the Polish Institute of Culture and Research is sharing one of Poland’s most cherished Easter traditions with the community.
The institute hosted its fourth annual pisanki workshop at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, inviting people of all ages to learn the traditional beeswax method of decorating eggs.
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“It’s always you know some kind of surprise at the end,” said Iwona Jędrzejczak, an instructor.
Each egg is unique in its own way.
“It’s a skill set that individuals hone for many years and they’re incredibly proud of it,” said Ania Bieciuk, Associate Director for Polonia Affairs, Polish Institute of Culture and Research.
Now, people like Iwona Jędrzejczak are passing those skills down to the next generation.
“We use beeswax, cover egg, eggshell and dye in different kind of colors,” said Jędrzejczak, “It is part of our tradition and heritage and now I think people enjoy.”
The Polish Institute of Culture and Research says it organized the workshop to keep the pisanki-making tradition alive as fewer new immigrants bring the craft directly from Poland.
“The reality is that we don’t have the kind of flood of immigration, new individuals or blood, so to speak, in our community like we did in the beginning of the 1900s or the 1800s. So what we’re really tasked with right now, being a few generations removed, is this immense responsibility to continue because, unfortunately, like you said, they will cease to exist. I mean, it’ll be found in a history book,” said Bieciuk.