Canadian collectable coin $20–2016 (Ukrainian Pysanka series)
2016 Canadian $20 coin (1 oz. Fine Silver Coloured Coin)
🥚A series of Ukrainian Easter eggs (Ukrainian Pysanka)
1️⃣The first coin of the series
⚡️Mintage: 4,000
💵Starting price at the Canadian Mint: $114.95 CAD
💵Recent eBay sales for $800-$900
With its handcrafted beauty and intricate patterns, a pysanka is one of the most beloved forms of traditional Ukrainian folk art! This carefully decorated Easter egg is a veritable treasure trove of symbolism, where each motif and colour carries a deeper meaning that bestows a special blessing upon its recipient. The creative process itself is a time-honoured ritual, a tradition that predates Christianity and hasbeen lovingly passed down from one generation to another.
The pysanka egg, in all of its colourful splendour, remains an artistic celebration of life and rebirth, a blessed token of esteem, and a powerful protective emblem — for it is said that as long as pysanky are made, good will continue to prevail over evil.
Designed by Canadian artist Ann Morash, your coin captures the intricate beauty of a pysanka. Every element on this Ukrainian Easter egg is rich with symbolic meaning, including the individual colours: yellow stands for youth and purity; red represents the joy andpassion in life; green is the colour of spring, which brings hope and renewal; and black suggests the darkest time before dawn, and the idea of eternity.
When combined, these colours — and the motifs they enhance — result in a design that is open to many interpretations, but that is nonetheless a vibrant celebration of afull and colourful life. At the top and bottom of the egg are large flowers, which symbolize love, goodwill and the beauty of nature; these are framed by bands of waves that speak of water’s life-givingproperties, and the idea of eternity. Beneath the waves at the top are stylized depictions of the sun and stars, which symbolize life, fortune and growth; a re-interpretation of these also appear in the centre, where they alternate with evergreen boughs that represent eternal health and youth.
👉More than 3 million Canadians (or 10% of Canada’s population) are of Ukrainian heritage; in fact, Ukrainian is the fifth most spoken language inCanada!
👉Since it is created using a written-wax batik method, it seems fitting that pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, meaning “to write”; note that pysanka is singular, and the plural is pysanky.
👉There are several different types of decorated eggs, but most are for ornamental or symbolic purposes; however, the single-coloured hard-boiled eggs known as krashanky are eaten atEaster breakfast.
👉 While there are thousands of possible motifs, designs frequently feature geometric and plant themes; it is said that the recipient of an egg decorated with animals, which are more difficult to draw, will be endowed withthe animal’s best characteristics.
👉 Meander lines and eternity bands are someof the oldest and most common motifs — with no beginning or end, they symbolize harmony, immortality and infinity.
👉 As a ritualistic process, it was important to maintain a calm, positive and focused state of mind while creating a pysanka. Melted beeswax is “written” on the raw egg with a stylus called a kistka; after the first lines are drawn, the egg is immersed in a coloured dye. The wax is then applied to other sections of the design, effectively masking them as the process is repeated to cover the desired range of colours from light to dark. Once the process is complete, the wax is melted and removed to reveala wealth of patterns and colours, all meticulously achieved through this multi-layered process.
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