Easter Traditions

Yesterday was Easter which in this house is everything. My world exists because of the promise of Easter.As a girl growing up in a predominantly Catholic community, I remember how involved I was with all of our traditions and rituals at my church and how they helped form my identity.  While the Easter bunny is a fun and happy part of Easter, I, (probably like you) knew that there was so much more.  I knew that something happened on that Sunday morning that changed the world.  I didn’t know the extent of it but I knew it affected me. As a mother I wanted to be sure my own kids were exposed to that.  So, we bless our Easter basket, we pray before the guarded tomb, we take part in Stations of the Cross to help keep our faith vibrant and relevant in a chaotic world.  When we see a suffering person in the Sudan or here in our own community, we can relate that to how our Savior suffered….the innocent of this world are often the ones to suffer.We can also see that we have a choice, there are so many people pivotal to the Christian narrative that it can help us navigate our own “living out” of our faith. Here are some of the things that matter to us, beginning with Palm Sunday.

Several girls from our parish, (including my own), wave the palms at each mass as we commemorate the journey into Jerusalem.  My youngest said of her first year, “One of my life dreams came true today, waving the palms on Palm Sunday”.  Our rituals matter.

A cross made by one of our college students for Palm Sunday. Our symbols matter.

A local flower shop brings in little chickies and the Easter Bunny on Palm Sunday.  A special memory for many in my area. Our community matters.

Coloring Easter eggs…a family tradition.  This year my middle daughter took the lead  and also carved our butter lamb which usually looks more like a butter dog… Fun matters.

We spend a lot of time at church during Holy Week, like many people do.  Re-creating the scenes of that final week in Jesus’s life with other people who believe in our collective story gives a particular depth.  On my own, I can only be challenged so much…but with others, I am opened up in unexpected ways. Faith matters.

Preparing for our Easter guests which includes members of both families as well as a couple friends (and a stranger)  has become a family affair.  Everyone has their job to do and everyone does it with a reasonably happy heart.  Having our loving family on the happiest of days is all the blessing we need.  Even when there is a wrinkle or two in the family linen. Family matters.

Since the kids were very little we have done an Easter egg hunt with their cousins.  It is a favorite memory for me, we have had many pranks played over the years as I do it with my brother-in- law and my sister.  That we have the 21 year old still taking part is most of the fun! Traditions matter.

Traditions and rituals are part of the gift of faith I want to bequeath my children, they help the seasons turn and they lend to our identity.  However, every year things are subject to change…lest we get so bogged down in tradition and ritual we lose sight of the Holy Spirit at work… which is just our way of keeping an eye out for what matters.