
There are displays related to the decoration and giving of handkerchiefs from single women to single men to signify interest and courting. There are blessed elaborate wedding breads decorated with ribbons and twisted knot birds made out of dough (see below).
Really, all of this exhibit is a feast for the eyes and shouldn't be missed, but unfortunately it seems it usually is. The receptionist seemed shocked to see me and when I told her I had discovered the museum's existence online, she was so pleased and surprised she couldn't do enough to make me feel welcome. As the only visitor to the 3 story museum at the time of my visit, I was a little saddened by the lack of visitors much the way I was about the Hispanic Society of America.

Finally, the piece de resistance, is their small but beautifully displayed collection of Pysanka eggs (see below). If you are not careful, you could miss the whole thing. They are in a small side room just inside the front doors on the left before you get to the admissions desk. The eggs decorated using a wax-resist process, vary from region to region of the Ukraine, but are all decorated with the traditional symbols like eternity (never ending connected lines), the sun (circles, broken crosses, or stars with up to 8 points), triangles, animals, and nature (leaves, flowers, or trees) to protect and bring good fortune to the recipient of these eggs. Although now just decorative, originally they were thought of as talisman.
If you find yourself in the Lower East Side, stop by the Ukrainian Museum and you won't be disappointed.
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