Feb 6, 2010

Pic of the Week: The Pysanka (Easter Egg)

Day 98

When I was younger, we as a family took a trip east about 60-65 miles of Edmonton and visited the city of Vegreville. We visited the city's most famous monument, a giant Easter Egg. And it is something that I will not forget.

First, a little history (thanks to the Vegreville and District Chamber of Commerce for this information. You can see more at www.vegrevillechamber.com) of the egg.


(You can see my dad, sister and I all under that egg. It was raining slightly.)

The city of Vegreville wanted to honor the Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RCMP) for its service and protection of the early Ukraine settlers. They decided on a large Pysanka (Easter Egg) to symbolize the peace and security the Mounties had offered them.

Interestingly enough the design of the project was done by a computer scientist, Professor Ronald Resch from the University of Utah. They had to develop new computer programs to develop the egg. The Pysanka is really an immense jigsaw puzzle containing 524 star patterns, 1,108 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets, 6,978 nuts and bolts, and 177 internal struts. It measures 25.7 feet long, 18 feet wide, and stands 31 feet high.

The dedication message is written in four languages: English, Ukrainian, French and German. It reads: “This Pysanka (Easter Egg) symbolizes the harmony, vitality and culture of the community and is dedicated as a tribute to the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who brought peace and security to the largest multi-cultural settlement in all of Canada.”

It was such a cool place to visit. I would love to take Kristy and Logan up there to see it. And eat Ukrainian food like progies. MMMMMMM.

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