Artist Iryna Peredery showing children her craft.

Before the age of text messages and FaceTime, before, even, the Morse code and the printing press, our ancestors used various mediums to pass on messages; mediums that helped relationships blossom and warmongering thrive.

These languages gave rise to classics like Margaret Pickston’s The Language of Flowers and determined where towers used to give out smoke signals were erected.

Unfortunately for us, newer and more advanced mediums – no doubt spurred by the advent of the industrial and the technological revolutions, respectively – meant that these inconspicuous yet decipherable codes became lost to time, with only a fraction of the human population being aware of their existence.

But nostalgia is a powerful thing, and the modern man, often shackled by the tempo and the dispassion of 21st century life, is now once again giving rise to these old mediums of communication.

One such medium that is currently experiencing a renaissance all over the Western world is the Eastern European tradition of egg painting, which acted as a way of passing on good wishes long before the Victorians gave rise to the first greeting cards. Unknown to many is the fact that egg painting not only predates Easter but also predates Christianity, making it a custom rooted in secular – if not pagan – tradition that has stood the test of time and religion.

These eggs are not only decorative but showcase written signs and symbols that may have had sacred significance

“There are many occasions in our lives when we would like to show love and respect, or to just say thank you to each other,” says Iryna Peredery, a Ukrainian visiting artist currently running a series of weekly egg-painting courses. “And for centuries, decorated eggs have been used to do just that in Romania, Greece, Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia.”

This ancient art, which known as pysankarsvo, still inspires contemporary people for fashion lines and sculptures, interior design and jewellery-making. And the secret of its success is that it is a very old and symbolic language that does not need translation. Many of the illustrations feature and incorporate instantly recognisable Ancient Neolithic, Egyptian, Hindu, Mesopotamian, Christian and Medieval motifs, to name a few.

The final, pretty result.

“To put it simply, this craft is an Easter egg decorated using hot batik or a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Its name derives from the Ukrainian verb pysaty (meaning ‘to write’). So these eggs are not only decorative but showcase written signs and symbols that may have had sacred significance in the past,” explains Iryna.

Villa Bologna, true to its history and the legacy left behind by some of its most famous inhabitants, including the Honourable Mabel Strickland OBE, is the seat of these weekly courses. Home to Malta’s oldest pottery, Ċeramika Maltija, Villa Bologna has hosted myriad other visiting artists, including master mould-maker Bill Brown and potter Andrea Pullicino.

“Pysankarsvo is a great way to make your Easter table look prettier, and many use them for Easter egg hunts,” Iryna tells us. “Participants will also discover how the creation of pysanky can have therapeutic benefits, such as increased concentration and calmness, and how they can also be beneficial to health in the same way feng shui can be.”

Such has been the interest in the revival of this ancient art form, that pysankarsvo is now part of the curriculum of Ukrainian art schools and universities. It is also a pastime taken up by New Yorkers, Londoners and Romans alike; and the history world is fascinated by this antediluvian craft and its turbulent history.

“The tradition of pysankarstvo had been handed down, in Ukraine, at least, since time immemorial. Sadly, their creation was banned in Soviet times, and much of this folk knowledge was lost,” elucidates Iryna.

“Pysanky were considered a purely religious art form by the Soviets, and strictly forbidden. Many thousands of pysanky in museums and private collections were destroyed, and there was virtually no scholarship in the subject until recent times. This was especially true in the east of Ukraine, which was under Soviet hegemony for much longer than the western part of the country.”

While some of the oldest examples of egg painting date back to the Punic times and were discovered in Andalusia, Spain, the undying tradition, which has roots in Europe and the Middle East, is strongest in Eastern Europe. So much so, that in recent times, scientific expeditions have delved deep into the culture and history of villages that have tight connections to pysankarsvo. Some of these have been vastly successful, with artists and scientists discovering old secrets on the composition of ancient natural dyes.

“Only natural and authentic ingredients are used in the creation process,” she insists. “An eggshell is the canvas whilst bright pigments derived from edible plants and minerals turn it into a magical piece of art. Lines, rhythm, signs and symbols on the eggshell depict a special message, a letter from one heart to another.”

The egg-painting classes are being held at Villa Bologna every Saturday. For more information call 2141 7973 or send an e-mail to mail@ceramikamaltija.com.