The Tom Atkin Hall, on behalf of the Tugun Progress Association, would like to wish you all a very happy and safe Easter.

At this time, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine and celebrate their Easter tradition of pysanky eggs. This Easter tradition, banned under Soviet rule, is synonymous with Easter and involves decorating eggs using dye and beeswax.

May you see peace return to your country.

EXCERPT from:

This year, the Easter tradition of Ukrainian pysanky eggs is 'more important than ever'

ABC RN | Religion & Ethics reporter, Nicole Heath. Posted Sat. April 16th, 2022.

IMAGE | Ukrainian Easter pysanky eggs. Getty images : Jim Sugar.

In Ukraine, where churches lie in ruins and the invading Russian army has been accused of war crimes, Easter in 2022 will be a sombre affair.

In normal years, this would be a time of celebration.

"People have huge parties," says Iryna Roik, a member of the SLAVA Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Adelaide, who emigrated to Australia from Ukraine in 2017.

Street festivals with food stalls, entertainment, and displays of giant Ukrainian Easter eggs known as pysanky mark the end of the Lenten period and the resurrection of Christ.

In Ukraine, pysanky – eggs decorated using beeswax and dye – are synonymous with Easter.

However, pysanky writing is an ancient tradition dating from pre-Christian times when the egg symbolised rebirth and abundance in springtime festivals.

With the arrival of Christianity in Ukraine in 988, the pagan tradition of pysanky became part of the rituals observed at Easter.