New Jersey landscaping service foreman Samuel Brozina offers a closer look at his passion for dyeing traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs each year.
From bringing him closer to his Ukrainian roots to learning patience and maintaining a steady hand, Samuel Brozina has enjoyed the traditional art of dyeing Ukrainian Easter eggs since childhood. Now a local landscaping service foreman and licensed pilot from New Jersey, Brozina shares details of the traditional Easter egg dyeing process, typically completed using a wax-resist method.
“Dying Ukrainian Easter eggs is both a relaxing hobby and an excellent creative outlet,” suggests New Jersey native Brozina. He has, he says, spent years refining his Easter egg dyeing skills, and continues to embrace the joys of the process. “It remains an Easter tradition,” he adds, “and is something which my father and I continue to thoroughly enjoy every year.”
According to experts, the wax-resist method of egg decoration used in traditional Ukrainian Easter egg dyeing likely dates back to the pre-Christian era. “Dyed Easter eggs are known in Ukraine as pysanka, which comes from the verb pysaty, meaning ‘to write’ or ‘to inscribe,’ and designs are indeed written or inscribed on to the eggs, rather than being simply painted,” explains Brozina.
For Samuel and his family, the process remains an annual Easter tradition, with his father, in particular, also passionate about the traditional art form. Ukrainian Easter eggs are, he says, a staple in Ukrainian Easter baskets which are often blessed at local churches. “The hobby of dyeing Easter eggs, I believe, draws me closer to the roots of the Ukrainian side of my family,” adds the hobby artist and licensed pilot.
Among his family, Samuel Brozina is known for his creatively decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs. “My father, for example, largely sticks with more traditional designs,” he reveals, “while I like to let my creativity flow.”
Many of his finished eggs, he suggests, represent his own personal tastes.
In addition to his passion for art, Millville Senior High School graduate Samuel Brozina is also a licensed pilot and the proud owner of an ERCO Ercoupe low-wing monoplane aircraft. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, he recently acquired the rare American designed and built civilian aircraft from a seller in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, less than 100 miles from his home in Millville, New Jersey.
“I’m also an active member of my church,” he adds, wrapping up, “where I sing bass in the choir.”
