Month: March 2022

On April 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. KidsPlay located on Main Street in Torrington is offering a program featuring Darlene Kascak (Schaghticoke Tribal Nation) from the Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS) for an interactive presentation of the 12,000-year history of life in the Eastern Woodlands.

Kascak is the Education Coordinator at IAIS and Traditional Native American Storyteller and will share various visual and tactile resources to guide the discussion about how Eastern Woodlands Natives have adapted to their changing environment. With hands-on activities, participants will learn the importance of working together for the sake of the community, innovation through knowledge of natural resources, and how this knowledge can benefit everyone today. IAIS will bring along animal furs, replicated artifacts, organic instruments, and more contemporary items for an interactive and educational experience.

Reduced admission for this program ($2 per person) is offered because of the generous support from the American Savings Foundation and Nolin Selby Fund of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation.

About the Institute for American Indian Studies
Located in Washington, Connecticut, the Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS)—formerly the American Indian Archaeological Institute (AIAI)—was incorporated in 1975 as an outgrowth of local efforts to recover New England’s then-largely-unknown indigenous history. IAIS is a 501(c)3 museum and research center dedicated to providing unique, informative, and engaging experiences for our members and visitors alike.

About Darlene Kascak
Darlene Kascak (Schaghticoke Tribal Nation) is the Education Director at The Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut. Her experience as an educator, tour guide, museum assistant and Traditional Native American Storyteller has taught her the importance of educating both young and old about the many misconceptions and stereotypes about her ancestors. Her style of teaching from a Native American’s point of view allows children and adults the opportunity to have a new understanding of Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples lives both in the past and in the present.

The Mattatuck Museum on West Main Street in Waterbury is hosting a Lithuanian Folk Art Easter Egg decorating workshop, on April 9 from 10 am to 12 noon. Participants will join Valerie Rogers for a folk-art experience celebrating the Lithuanian egg decorating tradition known as marguciai. Participants will use a scratching/etching method to create beautifully intricate designs. Participants will use a scratching/etching method to create beautifully intricate designs.

For Lithuanian Christians, Easter (Velykos) is the most sacred of holidays. It follows 40 somber days of Lenten moderation and marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each spring, Lithuanians commemorate the Passion of Christ by attending church services throughout Holy Week on Palm Sunday, Holy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.

While the rites of these services are comparable to those in other parts of the world, many Easter traditions observed outside of church liturgy are uniquely Lithuanian. Holy Saturday is dedicated to painting Easter eggs (margučiai) and preparing the Easter Sunday feast. Traditional Lithuanian Easter eggs are stained with natural dyes extracted from bark, leaves, fruit, and vegetables. Stained margučiai appear in solid colors or patterns created when leaves or other materials are pressed onto the eggs during the staining process.

More famously, Lithuanians are known for their ornate margučiai, which are either hand-painted or hand-carved into magnificent works of art. With the hand-painted method, they use the tips of needles and other sharp objects to paint intricate patterns with hot wax. Then, after the wax hardens, they dip the eggs into colorful dye. After the eggs dry, they are heated and then pressed gently with towels or paper to remove the wax and reveal the pattern. With the hand-carved method, wax is not used. Instead, these eggs are dipped in dye first. After they dry, designs are etched into the shells with a finely tipped, sharp object. Both methods require artistic talent and patience and both result in extraordinary, heirloom-quality margučiai.

In Lithuania, the Easter Granny (Velykų Senelė) delivers Easter eggs and treats to children. Children often prepare for the Easter Granny by leaving empty homemade egg nests outside their homes in gardens and shrubs. On Easter morning, they wake to search for their hidden margučiai treasures.

All supplies for this workshop are provided by the Mattatuck Museum. No experience is necessary. There is limited space for this workshop and it is recommended that you register early. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for the general public. To register click here.

On April 2 from 1 – 3 p.m. the Wilton Historical Society is hosting a Ukrainian Egg decorating workshop just in time for the Easter Holiday.

Participants will learn the colorful and venerable craft of decorating eggs in the Ukrainian style, known as pysanky (their name is derived from the Ukrainian verb meaning to write). Expert egg decorator Susan Clark will lead this workshop for adults and children and explain the importance of this tradition to the people of Ukraine. This ancient craft uses symbols and motifs to create a jewel-like egg. Intricate designs can be created with geometric forms, or with more naturalistic, flowing patterns. Participants will be using a kistka, a pointed implement a bit like a pen, filled with beeswax and heated, to draw designs on the eggs between bathing them in colored dye. Decorate eggs in a traditional design, or create your own.

This workshop is limited to 20 participants and will take place at the Abbott Barn. Family groups will be seated together. The fee is $30 for members and $40 per non-member, per person, and includes materials. This event is suggested for children 9 years old and older and for adults.

Did You Know?
“According to Ukrainian folklore, the fate of the world depends on pysanky, intricately decorated dyed Easter eggs. As long as people make pysanky, it is said, a monster personifying evil will remain chained to its cliff and the world will be safe.” – The New York Times, , 4/5/1984