Religious symbols are quite common on pysanky.  In ancient times, symbols were drawn to the old gods, including Perun, Dazhboh, and the "Bohynia Berehynia"  (a goddess/protector associated with the cult of Mother Earth, the source of all life).

In prechristian times, the sun god (Dazhboh) was the most important of all the deities; birds were the sun god's chosen creations, for they were the only ones who could get near him. Humans could not catch the birds, but they did manage to obtain the eggs the birds laid. Thus, the eggs were magical objects, a source of life. The egg was also honored during rite-of-Spring festivals – it represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers.

With the adoption of Christianity as the state religion in 988, and the baptism of the entire country by order of Volodymyr, the old gods were no longer officially worshipped.  New symbols appeared, and old symbols, like old holidays and old traditions were reworked to fit with the new religion.

With the advent of Christianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose. With the acceptance of Christianity in 988, the decorated pysanka continued to play an important role in Ukrainian rituals of the new religion. Many symbols of the old sun worship survived and were adapted to represent Easter and Christ's Resurrection.

Both sets of symbols can still be found on traditional pysanky, as well as the more modern ones.

Pagan Symbols

Pysanky often depict an eight-sided star, which is a symbol of the sun god Dazhboh.

Christian Symbols

Christian symbols are fairly common. The cross,  which in pagan times represented the four sides of the earth, or the four element (earth, wind, water, fire), now depicts the Christ and christianity.

The cross is a fairly commonly design element in pysanky, whether subtly incorporated into a band, or as the most prominent motif.

Simple crosses, with two equal arms, are seen most commonly.

The Ukrainian Orthodox cross is sometimes shown, either with three bars (as below), or with the two lower bars.  This cross is used by both Ukrainian Orthodox and Greek Catholic (Byzantine rite) worshippers in Ukraine.  (The Russian Orthodox cross has a much longer upper bar.)

A triangle with a circle in the center denotes the eye of God.

Dots are said to be the tears of the blessed Virgin. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.

Stylized churches are often found on pysanky from western Ukraine; a sieve motif inside (the roof) symbolized the church’s ability to separate good from evil.

(Below: three different depictions of Ukrainian churches on pysanky.)

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