Holidays are about keeping family, joy, and connection to roots and community.
We won’t get it all right. These are just our imperfectly fun experiences of Czech, California, Sweden and Armenian-American Easter reality. I am sure we have left out some things. You are welcome to correct or add anything we missed!
As we see it, holidays and traditions are more about ritual and a place that feels like home for our family. A base line of beliefs, or guiding lines or light. For some this is found in religion, spirituality, ritual and or other family traditions that are something that adults and kids look forward to and relax into throughout their lives. No matter what we believe in and what holds value to us. The bottom line is this world and continuim we create for our families. Ultimately, this is what we need and crave and have the happiest memories connected to. That is a vital part of a life time together.
Our 3rd country kid expat realities
Northern Californian
- Decorate and color eggs before easter and leave them for Easter Bunny to hide
- Easter Bunny hides all our eggs and special ones with surprises for us to find in garden, Easter Sunday morning
- Easter Sunday morning we find our baskets full of goodies and surprises.
- Easter Brunch with family.
- Easter outfits, dresses and pretty things.
Armenian Easter Traditions
Easter is called: Surb Zatik, though I never heart that in our household.
Things to find on Easter that are pare of the Armenian twist:
- Easter bread, Armenian style is braided bread, “choereg”
- Gather together the family
- Many go to church. We did as kids with my aunt Miranda and grandma
- Paint eggs
- Egg smashing war, in pairs until the smash off.
*Finding ways to keep all the traditions of our roots and cultures, to keep the pieces of ourselves to not get lost, to remember those from the past and move forward with full color, into the future.
Swedish Traditions at Easter:
In truth, Mats didn’t remember too much about childhood Swedish Traditions except the essentials that stood out as a kid.
- Candy king in a big egg was the main joy for the holiday.
- colorful feathers on branches for decor in flat and on trees.
- some kind of meeting with food
- paint eggs
- Not super religious.
- Påskmust
- Costumed kids in witch costume going door to door for treats.
This year, I hope to be able to add some delicious food that we can create a vegetarian twist on:). Can’t wait to share this year’s creation with you as we move toward the full year’s collection.
After digging around, I found a handful of things for Swedish enthusiasts.
Czech / Moravian – Traditions at Easter
- The men: Lovers decorate trees or bushes in front of their intended love and weave willow branches into whips and add ribbons on the end.
- The women make cakes and sweet things.
- Color eggs incredibly beautifully.
- Special foods? We would love to hear all about that.
- On Easter Monday,
This year, at our house:
* comment or write us and happy to send you our simple recipe!
Mindfulness and traditions:
This year, today or at Easter, at this start of spring or when celebrating the Earth or other religions or holidays in this blooming time of year, celebrating fertility and the joyous colors and smells and remembering that which is important to us, take a moment. Take a moment, look around? Would you like to continue some tradition that brought you joy in the past in your own family? Or, is it time to start something new that fits who you are, as well. Now, is the time. Create that feeling you want and have always wanted. Tweak something that already works, make it even better. Or, illustrated the best version of an experience for your whole family to get the most out of what is happening. This the best year and moment to make life what you hope for, for your own family.
Question of the day:
Please, share your great stories from around the world:). We would love to hear from you.
“What brings you joy at this time of year? Best memories? Sweetest creations?”
Have a beautifully Imperfect Holiday.
