The egg decorating craft was well established in different regions of Ukraine and other neighboring countries, such as Czech Lands, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania. Each country and region was known for its own unique technique, color schemes and designs. The oldest egg decorating methods used natural products, such as bees wax and dyes extracted from plants, leaves, sunflower shells and bark.

Ukrainian Egg Decorating Batiking method

Batiking on eggs is the oldest and one of the most popular techniques used for egg decorating in different parts of the Czech republic and Slovakia.

Hot wax is applied on the egg with a stylus, a wooden stick with a metal funnel attached to its end. The funnel is filled with wax and heated above the candle flame. Heated wax becomes liquid as ink and lines can be drawn on the surface of the egg.

Gradually the egg is dipped into different colors and in each color stage more designs are added. At the end the wax is melted off above the candle flame and the designs on the surface of the egg reappear.