Rethinking Traditions

 

We tend to think of traditions as the thing that stays the same, but I don’t think that’s true. I think traditions are constantly evolving, even if change is so subtle we don’t notice it. This year, while rethinking our Easter traditions, I’ve been thinking about what we do and why we do it. Here’s how our Easter traditions are evolving.

The Easter Card

We love sending Christmas cards. Sometimes they are personalized, more often it is a simple picture and generalized greeting, but as we write each address, we think of each family member and friend and just long for a good chat with each. I find myself praying the card will whisper just a degree of our love.

This past Christmas, we moved over Christmas. We didn’t have an address, so we decided to wait to send out cards until after we moved in. Then it occurred to me that Easter would be an equivalent time of joy in friends and our Savior. Why hadn’t it occurred to me to send Easter cards before? Maybe it’s because it’s not really a common tradition and my friends who send Christmas cards may lose track of me between Easter and Christmas. Regardless, we tried it out and are seeing how we like it. I appreciated that it was a less busy time of year and I could take extra time and thought in sending out these Easter cards.

The Easter Branch

Seventeen years ago, when I was expecting my first beautiful little boy, I was nesting. As part of my springtime preparations, my three daughters and I dyed and blew Easter eggs. We attached chick-yellow bows and hung them from a branch. We still have these eggs and every year we hang them on a spring-budding branch. Finding the branch is always an outing, as we search for the perfect branch to hold what used to be a dozen and has now dwindled to six pink blown eggs. 

I also hadn’t thought of the search for the branch as an official part of the tradition. But it is, and it was a delightful realization. As we examine each tree within our locality, we completely immerse ourselves in springtime discoveries. This tradition may not be “rooted” directly in Christ directly, but we always feel the Lord’s hand when we seek out His works.

The Easter Hunt

Ever since our oldest child’s first Easter, we’ve known that we are not the family that celebrates Easter by searching for plastic eggs full of sugary morsels. We decided not to feed our children processed sugar until they were at least three years old. But we wanted to participate in the fun! Over the years we’ve hid everything from fruit cups to whole pineapples, small toys to a nice watch, and yogurts to beef jerky. We try to make it fun, but also a celebration of healthful and delicious foods. Last time, my older son hid everything while everyone else was on a drive. Before we returned, crows had found our hunt and flown away with four string cheeses and a beef jerky. This is not our first mishap in hiding real food at Easter time. Plastic Easter eggs have their pluses. 

Holy Week

It’s pretty common now for members of our community to follow Christ’s last week of life in their studies the week preceding Easter. We started the tradition over 10 years ago. We have pictures to coincide with each day. After we conclude our studies for the day, we display that picture, adding each to the row in succession. I love seeing Christ’s works laid before us throughout the week and remembering all His teachings, love, and sacrifice. Preparing for Easter in this similar way each year has added to the significance of the day. 

Easter traditions range from secular to religious, some a mix of both. What are your beloved Easter traditions? Any new ideas you’ve heard of that you want to try?