Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter are celebrated on the same day this year, and preparations are in full swing. The symbol of these two religious holidays is egg dyeing. In Tuzla, both Catholics and Orthodox were visited, and different methods of dyeing chicken eggs were recorded.
The youngest in the Tuzla neighborhood of Par Selo are the most excited about Easter egg dyeing, as they have the opportunity to unleash their imagination with the help of various colors and techniques.
“With these new techniques, we dye eggs using store-bought dyes. We put the dye in a bag with rice and roll the eggs in it, and it turns out all sorts of colors. Traditionally, my grandma taught me to dye eggs in onion peel, and then they become brownish-reddish,” says Lana Petrovic.
“We also have a tactic where we take stockings or transparent socks, put little leaves inside, and boil them with onion peel, and in the end, there are some imprints of the leaves and things like that,” adds Masa Divkovic.
Other methods of egg dyeing were also learned by children from their elders, who passed down the knowledge from generation to generation.
“I learned how to dye eggs from my grandmother and mother. We dye them in a way that we boil the eggs in a big pot, then bleach them, and then, in other pots with water and dye, we put those eggs. After we dye them, we dip a toothpick in vinegar and draw on the eggs,” explains Monika Kresic.
Even though not only the eggs but also the hands end up dyed, the children are thrilled to participate in this activity, especially those who live in other countries.
“We’ve been trying for many years to pass on the tradition to younger generations. As before, a large number of children of different ages have gathered. So that the children who are abroad can hang out with our children, make friendships and be creative, and nurture tradition,” says Dubravka Divkovic, president of the Women’s Association “Snaga Timuna” from Par Selo.
And tradition is also important to Orthodox believers in Tuzla, who, in preparation for Orthodox Easter, dyed more than 1.000 eggs in the church courtyard in a slightly different way. In a large cauldron, in boiling water, vinegar, salt, and red dye are added along with a basket of eggs. After boiling, the eggs are taken out of the water and coated with oil.
“In each egg in our hands, we bring joy, happiness, and a new life. How? For example, from last year, we keep one egg and place it in the ground, under a tree,” says Vesna Knaupfer, member of the Circle of Serbian Sisters “Kosovo Maiden” Tuzla.
Egg dyeing is not just about simple preparations for Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter but also a time of kind messages.
“That we all live in harmony and love, that no one hates anyone, let alone asks about their name. I’ve always said since I was little that it doesn’t matter what religion someone is, but only whether someone is a human being or not,” adds Knaupfer.
Both Catholics and Orthodox will share all the eggs with associations, the elderly and the infirm, and citizens because a joint celebration of these two religious holidays is planned at the Square of Freedom for all people of goodwill.
