If you choose to visit Romania during Easter holidays, you’ll probably notice the multitude of painted eggs in the souvenir shops. Without a doubt, Romania is one of the few countries where handicrafts are still being preserved, as they were centuries ago.
One of these handicrafts is called ”încondeierea ouălor” or ”egg dyeing” or simply ”painted eggs”. This traditions goes back in time, when locals used to decorate Easter eggs in various colors and with different motifs, usually depicting costumes, folklore or symbols found in nature or in local culture.
In the village of Ciocănești, in Suceava county, a special museum is home to a few thousand of these beautifully decorated eggs. Some of them have simple drawings but most of them have highly intricate designs that possibly needed tens of hours or work to finish. The main colors used for painting the eggs are black, red and yellow. But sometimes, depending on the region in Romania, green, blue or other colors are also used.
However, you can find painted eggs in Romania in many touristic places. It’s best if you find a local artisan, usually an older lady or man, who’s still using the traditional dyeing method, using a special tool called “condei”, molten wax and, obviously, dyeing paint.
If you’re around the famous Bran castle, you need to know that in the village of Poarta, nearby, there is a lady specialized in painting eggs. Here, if you are interested, you can discover the secrets behind egg dyeing, practice your skills and even buy some home made souvenirs.
If you want to stay more in Bran, you can explore the area in a hiking or cycling tour or you can even go bear watching in the wild. If you need indications, tips or information about your stay in Bran or Brasov, feel free to contact us. We’ll help you asap 🙂
