As every young reader of Dr. Seuss books knows, Sam-I-Am was very persistent in his attempts to get a little friend to try green eggs and ham. And this little friend stubbornly resisted until—finally—he took a tiny taste and discovered that—lo and behold—he did like green eggs and ham after all.

Most kids aren’t so pig-headed. Around this time of year, they generally love eggs of all colors—and especially the bright plastic ones filled with jelly beans and chocolates.

Colorful, decorated eggs are very much a part of the season, and Ukrainian Easter eggs, known as pysanky (pysanky is plural; the singular is pysanka) are some of the most intricately beautiful. Decorated with a wax resist (batik) method, the eggs are not painted on, but written with beeswax (the name comes from the verb pysaty, which means “to write.”)

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