The Pyrohove Fair, which attracts master craftspeople from every region of Ukraine, is thematically neutral and appeals to visitors because they can buy a long-coveted item or even a work of art. This year there were carpet makers from the Carpathian town of Yavoriv, embroiderers and weavers from Kirovohrad, woodcarvers from Vyzhnytsia, and Easter egg painters from Kosmach, Kyiv, and Luhansk. Although egg painting is no longer a widely practiced craft, the collection of Kyiv resident Oksana Bilous features several thousand painted Easter eggs from each region of Ukraine, which she then studies and reproduces.
This craftswoman believes that an Easter egg is not just a paschal ritual object but also a system of ancient sign writing about the universe and the correlation of forces. Bilous is a geography graduate. When she was a child and could not even draw well yet, she took up Easter egg painting and turned it into a lifelong pursuit. Her impressive work on eggs from various birds, including ostriches, features perfect lines and colors. She uses up-to-date tools, such as an electric brush and a mini-drill, as well as imported (usually American) dyes.
Why would you need a drill? Bilous explains that this is a special technique. You first have to draw a pattern on the egg with a pencil and fill in some spots with wax (very delicate work indeed), and then use hydrochloric acid to etch out certain parts of the design. You do this several times, always wiping off the wax, and finally strengthen the pattern with the mini-drill. Even the legendary goldsmith Faberge would have envied this technique because an egg painted in this manner is highly original and looks as if it bears writing in relief. Bilous is an expert at drawing patterns from various eras and ethnic Ukrainian lands, such as Trypillia, Polissia, and the Carpathians.
Yurii Morachevsky from Lviv also uses cutting-edge techniques. He should be called a “jeweler of ceramics”: when you see the refined women’s jewelry that he makes out of clay you inadvertently recall the wonderful master Mykola Siadrysty, who shoed a flea.
This year the Pyrohove Fair also offered unique gold-embroidered items made by Crimean Tatar masters. Woodcarvers showed off their boundless imagination translated into decorative boxes known as shkatulky, plates, little statues, and other wonderful objects. Dmytro Halaburda’s icon of the Cossacks’ Holy Virgin was simply amazing.
Children visiting the fair loved the wooden toys, including cars and bicycles. There were all kinds of dolls at the fair, including ones made of wool, while Oleksandra Hirenko from Kirovohrad offered a selection of loom-woven items.
Prices were rather high, but after all, these craftspeople are not offering kitsch but pieces of art, which is worth paying for. The dazzling selection of embroidered shirts, hats, belts, and headgear made our heads spin. Iryna Babiuk from Kosiv brought her hand-made chiltsia, traditional Hutsul women’s headgear.
Visitors to the fair also watched a real-life wedding with the bride on horseback. There was music by folk groups from Kyiv. Everybody could dance and even tip back a few glasses. Exiting the fair, visitors could hear virtuoso dulcimer player Myroslav Paliichuk from the village of Vydyniv, in Pokuttia. He played Volodymyr Ivasiuk’s smash hit “Vodohrai,” with many fair visitors singing along. The next fair, called “An Autumn of Weddings,” will be held at Pyrohove on Oct. 14, the Protection of the Holy Virgin.
