08/11/2026
St. George's pierogi kitchen will be open for pick-up this week, Aug. 13 & 14, from 9 am to NOON. Please call us at 412-766-
8800 to place an order for our tasty pierogies. This week's menu (all frozen): Potato & Cheese, Half & Half, or Jalapeno. All varieties are $11/dozen. Sincere thanks to everyone for your support! Image posted by From Ukraine With Art page; Motanka Art by Svetlana Clair. Learn more about Ukrainian motankas, below:
Ukrainian motanka art centers around the lyalka-motanka, an ancient traditional guardian doll made by winding, wrapping, and tying fabric without using needles or scissors. The first knotted dolls appeared about 5,000 years ago, and represented the unity of the family and deep connection between multiple generations.
The name derives from the Ukrainian verb motaty, "to wind" or "to twist". Traditional dolls are formed entirely by knotting and wrapping cloth scraps, often upcycled from family clothing to hold ancestral energy. No needles or sharp objects are used on the body so as not to "harm" or pierce the talisman.
Motankas do not have human eyes or features. Instead, a multi-colored thread cross (an ancient pagan symbol of the Sun) is wrapped across the face. Tradition holds that an open face or eyes would allow spirits to enter or capture a person's soul. Makers often incorporated grains, herbs, or coins inside the doll for health, wealth, and a good harvest. Colors like red guarded against evil, green symbolized health, and yellow represented the sun.
In contemporary fine art, the motanka concept extends beyond physical fabric dolls. Ukrainian painters like Marta Pitchuk bring the guardian figure to life on canvas, painting striking portraits where traditional thread-wrapped faces blend into living, modern women to symbolize cultural continuity and female ancestral power.
