UNESCO Recognises Ukrainian Pysanka as Cultural Heritage of Humanity
At the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is taking place in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, the first international element from Ukraine, together with Estonia, ‘Pysanka: Ukrainian tradition and art of egg decoration’, was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This was announced the day before by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
‘This is our joint success, which confirms the strength of our unity. At the same time, the aggressor is destroying our culture, monuments, theatres, libraries, and museums. Our artists, the bearers of our living heritage, are dying in the fight for our homeland. Their loss undermines the very heart of our identity. After all, living heritage does not exist without people. We prove that even in the darkest times we remain unbreakable,’ said Mykola Tochytskyi, head of the ICCC, in his video address.
In total, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity contains 611 items corresponding to five regions and 140 States Parties to the Convention. Ukraine's inscriptions on the list include:
‘Petrykivka decorative painting as a phenomenon of Ukrainian ornamental folk art’ in 2013;
‘The Tradition of Kosiv Painted Ceramics’ in 2019;
‘Ornek - Crimean Tatar ornament and knowledge about it’ in 2021.
The work on the nomination began in 2017 after a meeting with the Ukrainian community of speakers in Estonia. It is based on three elements. Two of them are included in the National List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine - ‘Ukrainian Pysanka: Tradition and Art’, which unites communities from all regions of Ukraine, and ‘The Tradition of Hutsul Pysanka’. Another element - ‘Ukrainian Pysanka, Tradition and Art of Decorating Easter Eggs’ - is included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Estonia.
The exchange and gift of Easter eggs is a very important tradition for Ukrainians, regardless of whether they are connected to the church or not. Personal wishes and messages are recorded in various symbols on pysankas. The national patterns of Ukrainian pysankas are not accidental - each motif has its own meaning. This is what makes each pysanka unique.
