RHYS BOWEN: It's Easter Sunday so I'm keeping this brief today as I'm sure many of you are going to brunch or church or to relatives. In England we nevre made a big thing of Easter. We were bought a couple of chocolate eggs. We went to church. One thing I remember is that we always dressed nicely in summery outfits only to find the inside of the church was frigid.
But when I was growing up there was no Easter Bunny, no Easter egg hunt. One Easter I was staying with my parents when my older children were 2 and 4. I gave them an Easter egg hunt on the back lawn. I remember the neighbors staring out of their window as flung eggs all over the garden. I thought I'd gone mad.
The one tradition I created with my own kids was to give each of them an Easter basket and to hide them. Each child got a trail of clues to lead them to their basket. Each clue was a rhyming couplet:
Where birds make nests look up and see
A clue awaits you in a ....."
Tree, they'd shout and off they'd run. I had four kids, about six clues each. That's twenty four rhyming couplets to be written and hidden around the house before six on Easter morning. The interesting thing is that the tradition has continued to my grand kids. Lizzie and Meghan wanted their baskets with clues until they were in college! I wonder if it will go on to the next generation?
So what Easter traditions do you have? And for my Jewish friends I hope you've had a blessed Passover.
The way other kids would put out milk and cookies for Santa, we would put out carrots and water for the Easter Bunny and lay out some blankets in the mudroom so he could have a bit of a rest.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of that - makes sense, though.
DeleteEaster traditions? Church; egg hunts; baskets filled with candy; lamb for dinner . . . .
ReplyDeleteWishing everyone a Happy Easter / Passover . . . .
Don't celebrate Easter or Passover at all. Our family was Buddhist.
ReplyDeleteIt's a regular Sunday for me but I wish the rest of you a happy holiday.
Easter was the only day of the year my unreligious family went to church--a sunrise service out of doors with the sun truly rising over the ocean in front of us while we listened to the minister and the music. For weeks before Easter, we ate scrambled eggs and blew out the eggs so we'd have empty shells to wash, dry, and dye. Hours of dyeing and painting eggs on Easter Saturday. And on Sunday, after we got back from the service, a huge breakfast and an elaborate Easter egg hunt indoors and among the plants in our big patio, with a few hard-boiled eggs and LOTS of empty ones to find, plus Easter baskets full of chocolate and little toys (but no clever clues, Rhys--that's a great tradition.) Then, in the afternoon, we'd usually go to the beach! (This was in San Juan, Puerto Rico.) My sister and I were just talking about what happy memories we have of Easter.
ReplyDeleteWishing everyone who celebrates a joyful Easter and a very happy end to Passover. There are so many lovely traditions that go with both holidays. I love the stories of Easter egg hunts and Easter Baskets and Easter Bunnies. Those traditions are so colorful and perfect for little ones. Interestingly, eggs are a part of the Passover tradition, too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, Passover meant a new dress, new patent leather tee straps, and sometimes a new little hat to wear to synagogue. It was one of the few times during the year when my mother would come and climb the stairs to the women's section. And how I hated to have to put a winter coat over that Spring finery when the weather didn't cooperate.
Happy Easter to all who are celebrating. Oh Rhys, all those couplets! Easter was Easter baskets, lots of chocolate eggs and bunnies, breakfast , church. I don’t remember much about Easter dinners, Probably ham. Now it’s church, and mid afternoon diner with friends and some family. This year ai found little dark chocolate rabbits to put by everyone’s place card.
ReplyDeleteI love the Easter baskets and the rhyming couplet clues! Brilliant. I can see why your kids wanted the tradition even when grown. I hope they do pass it on.
ReplyDeleteIn our case, no hunts, but we did dye and decorate our eggs, which felt like a big deal. Also, we went to whatever church was near us (we moved a lot, and my mom was flexible 🙂) and we did dress our best for the day.
Happy Easter, and a peaceful end to Passover to all who celebrate. We no longer observe at the traditional church services, but I have fond memories and photos from my childhood of dressing up and walking as a family to Easter Mass.
ReplyDeleteI've spent so many years of my life making Easter baskets for children--since 1970! This will be the first year ever since that I have not. Zak is 20, and although he is, like me, a dark chocolate afficionado, we spent time together this week picking out delicacies at the local foodie paradise for him. Before this, though, I dyed or painted eggs, chose just the right candy, and picked out small toys for the kids, then hid eggs in the yard for them to find. Even when I was a kid, because I was the oldest, I'd stage egg hunts for my younger siblings while our mother was at work. Until once an unfound egg hidden in the couch cushions began to stink up the place a couple weeks later. Oops.
I'm roasting a leg of lamb later, a special treat which we are all looking forward to!
Living on a farm meant that Easter and Passover were the seasons of life and death. Our sheep and goats had all had their kids and lambs in January and most were slaughtered for the various religious groups. For a farmer it was interesting producing the right product for each customer, as each wanted a different sized dressed animal. Italian wanted small – slightly bigger than rabbit sized, Greek wanted about 60 lbs dressed – good for whole barbecued or baked underground, and Passover was more like what is called spring lamb. Most were slaughtered in our yard, so our kids were very aware of the cycles of life and death – which is the underlying theme of the religious holidays. Meanwhile there were baby chicks, and baby ducks and mud! The various families who came for their animals all brought us the pastries of their traditions, which I found most enlightening and delightful. Also ouzo…
ReplyDeleteThis year we have no one here but ourselves. It is very pleasant. I was thinking of serving yeast-waffles for lunch (new recipe), but I think the yeast may have been old – not much rise in the batter so far. Supper was scheduled to be scrambled chocolate eggs – does that fall under the vegetarian category? May have steak instead…
Happy Spring Holiday to all!
No traditions here anymore. I don't do the stuff that happened as a kid obviously. And I don't go anywhere to have a meal anymore since my friend Ann is on her World Retirement Tour.
ReplyDeleteAnd since I'm pretty much as anti-religion as one could imagine, that part of the holiday holds zero interest for me.
When I was a child, Easter meant church and Easter baskets. We would take flowers from the garden for the flowering of the cross. Now that I'm a church person as an adult, Easter means the Easter Vigil, a long service that starts at 8 pm in the dark, with the coming of new light when a spark is used at the back of the church to light candles and the flame is passed forward to each person's individual candle.. There's lots of music and readings, some traditional, some less so. Last night we heard a piece of a poem from Rev. Pauli Murray which brought me to tears. Eventually we get to the Alleluias and bell ringing and an Easter proclamation (by then the lights are on) and then Communion. Our service last night was bilingual and beautiful, with our incredible choir. The afterparty was tamales and Andean flute music. I skipped out before the dancing, as I knew I would wake up early. It's back to church at 9 for another service with guest brass musicians, then dinner at my sister's with family and friends. Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
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