LENOX, Mass.— Celebrate the Easter season with a unique opportunity to learn a time-honored Eastern European craft.  

 

Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum will offer its annual Slavic Easter egg decorating demonstrations and instructional workshops on Saturday, April 12 from 10:00 am to noon and again from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and Monday through Thursday, April 14 – 17 from 2 pm to 4 pm.  The workshops will take place at the mansion's former gatehouse at 55 Kemble St., Lenox. The number of seats available at each session is limited.

 

This Eastern European tradition of creating decorated eggs has been passed down for generations.  Lenox resident Tjasa Sprague, who will again lead the workshop, learned the technique many years ago from her Czechoslovakian mother, Maria Krofta.

 

The technique begins with unwashed eggs (provided by a local poultry farm) which have a residue-free shell surface.  Attendees may also bring their own unwashed eggs. The Slavic Easter egg is a wax resistant technique which employs aniline dye later in the process. The decorating begins with drawing on the egg with wax, followed by immersion in the dye, with repeated wax drawing and dying as desired.  The eggs are uncooked and are “blown” out after the decorating has been completed.  The eggs may be displayed, when stored carefully, for an indefinite number of years.

 

The fee for each workshop, which includes all materials, is $40. Reservations are required and seats are limited. Children should be at least 12 years of age. All tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event.  For reservations please visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call at (413) 637-3206.