Ukrainian egg decorating tradition thrives at festival in Sharon

Ukrainian egg decorating tradition thrives at festival in Sharon

SHARON, Pa. — It’s 2,000 years old, but Ukrainian Easter egg decorating is not a lost art.

You can find it at a little studio next to Billy’s Black and Gold, a bar on Sharpsville Avenue in Sharon.

You can find it Sunday at the 19th annual Egg Festival, which Billy’s will host along with help from St. John’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

You can find it at the hands of Carol Novosel, who owns Billy’s and has been decorating the eggs in a Ukrainian tradition that uses wax and dye since she was around 5 years old. The tradition was passed down through the generations in her family.

You can find it at your own hands if you go to the egg festival and try it for yourself.

Novosel’s studio on Sharpsville is full of eggs she’s decorated in preparation for selling them at the festival. Proceeds will benefit the church, which is going to be there, too —selling food that includes pieroghi, stuffed cabbage, halushki, chicken Kiev and baked goods.

The money will also go toward helping orphanages and children’s hospitals in the Ukraine, which is still feeling the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster from April 1986, Novosel said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.