Friday Face OFF -- Butter Lamb

For today's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food and Everyday Things --

Last weekend I went to a workshop

held at the Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts

and learned how to make a Butter Lamb!

A Butter Lamb is a traditional Slavic Easter decoration.

Made by hand or by using a mold, it is taken to church

to be blessed, nestled in an Easter basket

of other special foods and treats.

Then on Easter, the Butter Lamb becomes the

centrepiece of the festive table and is eaten with

celebratory foods like Paska bread and ham.

The Butter Lamb represents Jesus as the sacrificial

Lamb of God resurrected at Easter, and brings

good fortune and abundance to the household.

So here's my Butter Lamb --

I made it by hand using half a pound of butter, a sharp knife,

and a garlic press to create the "wool." It has two cloves

for eyes and a peppercorn for the nose.

And here's me leaving the workshop with my Lamb --

The Christian holiday of Easter is still

three weeks away but today, March 20th,

marks special holidays in two other

spiritual traditions --

Today is the Spring Equinox, so I wish

Ostara blessings to all my pagan readers!

Welcome Spring!

And today is Eid which marks the end of Ramadan,

so I wish Eid blessings to all my Muslim readers!

Enjoy your feast!

Ukrainian Trees of Life

Not too long ago, I went to an art exhibit at the Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts concerning an important recurring symbol in traditional Ukrainian folk culture -- the Tree of Life. The exhibit featured the beautiful watercolour art of Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn, a prominent Edmonton artist, curator, instructor and academic expert in the field of Ukrainian Ethnography at the University of Alberta.

The Tree of Life motif symbolizes life, strength, and the interconnectedness of heaven and earth. It appears in paintings, embroidery, mosaics, pysanky (Easter eggs), and wedding items. Homes often display a Tree of Life to bring good health and prosperity.

The Tree of Life motif is usually depicted as a vertical stem symmetrically balanced with birds, flowers, and/or cranberries on either side. The choice of specific birds and flowers is often symbolic as well. Cranberries (kalyna) represent longing and healing related to the unquiet dead (often soldiers killed in battle).

These photographs show my most favourite pieces from the exhibit. Please pardon the reflections of myself and the overhead lights in the frames' glass. If you'd like to see the other art from this exhibit, check out the artist's website here.

This final image is a practice piece detail for a larger work. Isn't it utterly charming!

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This post is also being linked to

Sunday in the Art Room HERE

* SLAVA UKRAINI *

Freddy van Dam

‪@freddyvandam.bsky.social‬

#SlavaUkraini #Zelenskyy So he did have the cards.

Zelensky Is A Hero, Trump Is A Zero

I Fear For Ukraine. And For The West, Quite Frankly.

Three years ago today, Russia invaded Ukraine. The brutal war has taken a heavy toll and that toll is not over yet. I'm sickened by the whole one-sided "peace negotiation" farce going on between Trump and Putin, with Ukraine excluded from any meaningful participation.

Having already been rebuffed about his attempted extortion of Ukraine's mineral rights, Trump is now clearly spreading Russian lies with great glee as he prepares to betray Ukraine.

It's obvious that the USA can no longer be viewed or trusted as an ally by anyone in the West. NATO, Canada and Europe must protect themselves because they will be next in Trump's cross-hairs. It also seems clear to me that Trump and Putin have entered an alliance like Hitler and Stalin did before World War II. None of this bodes well.

Moonflower Murders, Ukrainian Embroidery, and Mabon

Moonflower Murders

My sister got me hooked on last season's Magpie Murders on PBS, a very clever British series involving two completely different but related storylines with dual roles for all the actors. Now I'm watching the new season, Moonflower Murders, which has just started on PBS. It's equally good so far! Any other fans out there?

Ukrainian Embroidery

I've always loved this beautiful artistic expression of Ukrainian culture. This week I finally made it to a local exhibit on its last day to see some stunning vintage pieces (all handwork, of course). Here's the exhibit poster and a few photos I took of my faves --

Mabon

Yesterday evening, I attended a celebration of the Autumn Equinox (Mabon) at a local Unitarian Universalist church. The gathering's special guests were two indigenous elders who led us in some drumming and singing. I enjoyed the opportunity to use my hoop drum again!

As 2022 Ends, Remember Ukraine's Bravery

Time magazine made the perfect choice

for 2022's Person of the Year --

Volodymyr Zelensky &

The Spirit of Ukraine

Who is not awed and humbled by

the resistance and resilience

of the Ukrainian people

in the face of invasion, war,

bombardment, destruction and death?

[Miss Ukraine as a Sister of Battle

at the Miss Universe competition]

Who does not think of their suffering every day

as they endure the weaponization of winter

through the callous ongoing destruction of

Ukraine's infrastructure?

In the coming year,

may Zelensky and Ukraine

achieve peace and victory!

"Less Putin, More Poutine"

Having a recent craving for the food of My Rare One's people, we went out for lunch last week at Uncle Ed's Ukrainian Restaurant. I've previously mentioned how Edmonton is full of fundraisers right now to aid war-torn Ukraine, so this Special at Uncle Ed's caught my eye --

How could I NOT order it?

As you may know, classic poutine (Canada's contribution to the world of haute cuisine) consists of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. Uncle Ed's ode to Canadian/Ukrainian solidarity consists of perogies, cheese curds, diced ham and gravy.

Behold the Special in all its glory!

It tasted okay, but perogies go better with sour cream than gravy, I must say. However, the cheese curds were right at home!

I topped off lunch with a plateful of delicious blueberry dessert perogies in warm brown sugar cream sauce. OMG so good!

It's not every day you can strike a small blow for freedom with your stomach, so thank you, Uncle Ed's!

[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, July 2022]

Pysanky For Peace

Canada has the world's largest population of Ukrainians outside Ukraine itself and Russia. Ukrainian-Canadians are especially prevalent here in the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Canada is currently taking in a lot of Ukrainian refugees, many of them coming to the prairies where relatives and the Ukrainian-Canadian community are eager to help them.

One of many fundraisers going on right now in Edmonton and Calgary to help war-torn Ukraine and displaced Ukrainian refugees is Pysanky For Peace. Local artists have painted giant eggs (either six feet or three feet tall) with traditional Ukrainian Easter Egg (pysanky) motifs or other designs. In a couple of weeks they will be auctioned off, with the money used for humanitarian aid and displaced Ukrainian families. They are currently on public display receiving bids.

[All pysanky images are from the newsletter

of the Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts]