Egg-hunting season is here
But once Easter is about to roll around, painted eggs become a specialty item that can go for as much as zl. 20 each.
"Colored eggs are part of our Polish Easter tradition," said one street vendor who has a stand on ulica Nowy Swiat. "And the more artistic they are, the more expensive."
Maybe that's because some eggs don't come from Mother Nature's chicken factories.
The cheapest eggs to be had are made of wood or plastic and hand-painted. Those eggs sell for, at most, zl. 5 apiece.
But some stores, such as Cepelia Tourist on ulica Chmielna, peddle delicately colored egg shells, that would make a hen proud.
How an egg is decorated often depends on the region of Poland in which it is produced. Some regions, for instance, just paint eggs one color, covering them with crocheted laces for a classical effect. Another region etches designs on top of painted eggs. The store sells 10 different designs on chicken and goose eggs.
"One can easily recognize what region some of the eggs are from," said salesperson Janina Stefanska. "For example, etched ones are very characteristic to the Silesia region."
The etched eggs go for zl. 14. The more expensive zl. 20 eggs are typically larger, exquisitely decorated shells.
Cepelia buys the eggs from folk artists all over Poland. This year the store bought about 2,000 of them. But Cepelia used to sell much more.
"I remember better times," said Stefanska, who has worked for Cepelia for 30 years. "Now we have too much competition from the street vendors, who sell them much cheaper."
And the competition may also be gaining on the more traditional store because even though it's Easter, people are egg-sacting when it comes to price.
Stefanska said it is difficult these days to explain to people why Cepelia's artistic eggs are more expensive. People tend to just buy whatever is cheaper, she said, without thinking about quality.
Folk artists say demand for their hand-crafted eggs is diminishing.
Coloring eggs made up a significant part of 44-year-old Krystyna's income in years past. An artist from Karczew, Krystyna refused to reveal her full name.
She remembers a time when her family sold 4,000 eggs a year. In recent years, the number has dropped to about 600-800.
"People don't care about art anymore," was the artist's conclusion.
For Krystyna, painting eggs is a family tradition. Her mother and grandmother passed down the art, and Krystyna now paints with her daughter. They only color eggs made of wood, using mostly flower motifs.
"The wooden ones are more durable," she said. She sells her eggs to Cepelia stores for zl. 5 each. She says it is a low price for the amount of effort that goes into each piece.
"Considering how much time I spend on each of them, I sometimes think it is not really worth it," she said. "But then I think it's Easter and my work helps keep up our Polish tradition. So I continue doing it."
"Colored eggs are part of our Polish Easter tradition," said one street vendor who has a stand on ulica Nowy Swiat. "And the more artistic they are, the more expensive."
Maybe that's because some eggs don't come from Mother Nature's chicken factories.
The cheapest eggs to be had are made of wood or plastic and hand-painted. Those eggs sell for, at most, zl. 5 apiece.
But some stores, such as Cepelia Tourist on ulica Chmielna, peddle delicately colored egg shells, that would make a hen proud.
How an egg is decorated often depends on the region of Poland in which it is produced. Some regions, for instance, just paint eggs one color, covering them with crocheted laces for a classical effect. Another region etches designs on top of painted eggs. The store sells 10 different designs on chicken and goose eggs.
"One can easily recognize what region some of the eggs are from," said salesperson Janina Stefanska. "For example, etched ones are very characteristic to the Silesia region."
The etched eggs go for zl. 14. The more expensive zl. 20 eggs are typically larger, exquisitely decorated shells.
Cepelia buys the eggs from folk artists all over Poland. This year the store bought about 2,000 of them. But Cepelia used to sell much more.
"I remember better times," said Stefanska, who has worked for Cepelia for 30 years. "Now we have too much competition from the street vendors, who sell them much cheaper."
And the competition may also be gaining on the more traditional store because even though it's Easter, people are egg-sacting when it comes to price.
Stefanska said it is difficult these days to explain to people why Cepelia's artistic eggs are more expensive. People tend to just buy whatever is cheaper, she said, without thinking about quality.
Folk artists say demand for their hand-crafted eggs is diminishing.
Coloring eggs made up a significant part of 44-year-old Krystyna's income in years past. An artist from Karczew, Krystyna refused to reveal her full name.
She remembers a time when her family sold 4,000 eggs a year. In recent years, the number has dropped to about 600-800.
"People don't care about art anymore," was the artist's conclusion.
For Krystyna, painting eggs is a family tradition. Her mother and grandmother passed down the art, and Krystyna now paints with her daughter. They only color eggs made of wood, using mostly flower motifs.
"The wooden ones are more durable," she said. She sells her eggs to Cepelia stores for zl. 5 each. She says it is a low price for the amount of effort that goes into each piece.
"Considering how much time I spend on each of them, I sometimes think it is not really worth it," she said. "But then I think it's Easter and my work helps keep up our Polish tradition. So I continue doing it."
