Germany Sorbian ethnic minority celebrates Easter with the traditions of egg decorating

Schleife, Germany – Aneke Hanusch insert her a needle into a dark blue wax and a point in her hand in her hand. Back and back, wax to egg, an egg to wax, as a mix of honeycomb is growing.

The intricate motive means that the egg will eventually be a gift from the godfather to their Bobchild, to give a careful and good work ethic on the young man.

Tradition Edit Easter eggs is part of the culture of Slavic speech Sorbian ethnic minority In Germany. Modern-daily sorms are lowered from the Slavic tribe in Central and Eastern Europe that settled in Germany about 1,500 years ago.

About 60,000 sorba currently lives GermanySplit between the states of Saxony and Brandenburg.

Stephanie Bierholtt, an employee in the Serbian Cultural Center in Schleife, in the city of only 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Polish border, he said Easter It is the largest holiday year for Sorbs and people traveling home to celebrate with their loved ones.

“It is best that this tradition is still alive in families,” she said.

Bierholtt, Hanhalh and other members of the Schleife sorbial community gathered in the Cultural Center 6. April, two weeks in front of the rest, to celebrate their heritage through Easter eggs and traditional folk costumes, songs and dances. Sorbian egg decoration dates from the Middle Ages.

Hanusch, carrying the red folk costume and the lid of an unmarried woman (married women wear green), was among more than 30 craftsmen who sell their Easter eggs in the cultural center. Its prices ranged from the cheapest decorated chicken egg for 7 euros ($ 7.72) to 90 euros ($ 99.28) for the colored eMU egg.

Editing can last between 90 minutes and six hours, depending on the techniques used, the motive and egg size. Artizaci use a needle or tip of a flexible featherfunt Quilla, cut in different ways, for drawing design.

Egg craftsmen said around the world bird flu Emerging and subsequent Egg elections and prices have not yet affected their rituals – although they added that it always best get eggs directly from farmers, not a supermarket.

Hanusch, which sorbian is on the side of her father, learns to speak Slavic language. She said that she and other sorbian children were starting to decorate Easter eggs as young people like two, since when I can hold a pen first. Many do it only during the Easter season throughout his childhood, but Hanusch continued with skill and became a teacher to others, including her niece.

“I think it’s a valuable cultural agent to be preserved,” she said. “It would be a shame if it would extinct.”