Tehnike ukrašavanja i ornamentika uskrsnih jaja Bijelih Šokaca i Hrvaćana Slavonaca
Technics of Decoration and Ornamentation on Easter Eggs of Bijeli Šokci and Hrvaćani Slavonci

Summary/Abstract: The Croatian population living in the area of Pakrac distinguished themselves in pursuance of traditional (folk) clothing; that fact probably influenced popularly rooted names for two distinct groups of inhabitants who are also territorially limited: Bijeli Šokci (the White Šokci) and Hrvadani Slavonci (the Hrvaćani Slavonians). Bijeli Šokci live in Prekopakra, Lipik, Omanovac, Badljevina and Donja Obrijež; Hrvaćani Slavonci live in so called Poljanski kraj (the villages in the surroundings of Pakrac Held). On Easter, both groups of inhabitants prepare and decorate eggs in many ways and use them for different purposes. The Erst group of Easter eggs includes boiled and uncolored eggs, that women bring to blessing to the Church together with other food. Each member of household eats one of those blessed eggs for Easter breakfast. The second group of Easter eggs are painted eggs called pisanice. This group includes eggs painted by melted wax and then boiled in a paint (batique technique in positive); eggs painted and ornamented with melted wax and then immersed in brine (batique technique in negative); eggs ornamented by reprinting a plant (facsimile technique); eggs colored in one paint with or without a bought image glued on. During the Easter holidays such eggs were bestowed upon children, and they also served for mutual giving of presents among the youth. The third group of Easter eggs includes eggs with content blown out, while on the outer side it is decorated with embroidery made of woolen threads in different colors; eggs decorated with embroidery and an additional application of zukva core; eggs decorated with application of woolen and zukva parts. In distinction with the first two groups of Easter eggs which are eatable, the third group (eggs embroidered and applicated with zukva) had only a decorative function. The ornament style of pisanice (coloured eggs) and embroidered eggs of Bijeli Šokci and Hrvaćani Slavonci can be considered a significant symbolic expression of the people from the region. Pisanice were mostly decorated with geometric ornaments, symmetric or asymmetric figures, revealing a rich scale of a decorating forms and combinations. The development of ornaments is visible in adding vegetable motifs on a basic geometric forms, and further in some more developed forms - simple vegetable drawings and stylized forms of Sun. Beside geometric and vegetable ornaments another significant form is a cross with hooks (swastika) shaped in different forms. In an ornament development of swastika vegetable ornaments were introduced on a basic form and its hooks were transformed reaching vegetable forms, geometric hook endings were connected by circles and, concentric circles were drawn into the basic form of cross without hooks. Inscriptions made on pisanica are not customary in this region. Eggs embroidered and applicated by zukva are regularly decorated by pied wool in geometrically shaped forms, spiral circles, concentric circles, wavy and flat lines. Women were those who preserved and carried over the tradition, skill and aesthetic molding of decorating Easter eggs. Changes in the way of life in this region influenced the decline of egg decoration art and is substituted by eggs painted in one color on which they glue on bought images.

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