Happy Easter

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I’ve just put our treasured collection of Easter eggs on display. Most of these lovely eggs have been made over the years by our youngest daughter. I decided to photograph them and post them here because I was so inspired by Finnish blogger blogisisko’s photos of her very unique international collection of Easter eggs, some exquisite wood and marble ones and contemporary ones. Also a link to Fabergé brings back memories of seeing these in a lovely exhibition many years ago in a New Orleans museum, I think it was.

As with many of our religious holidays, Easter has elements of old pagan practises. There seems to be some uncertainty to the sources of some traditions like the giving of eggs at spring festivals. This “was not restricted to Germanic peoples and could be found among the Persians, Romans, Jews and the Armenians. They were a widespread symbol of rebirth and resurrection and thus might have been adopted from any number of sources.”

Read more interesting information about Easter at Wikipedia, also in Finnish.

Easter in Finland* mentions a traditional Easter dish called mämmi – I remember my mother making it – it tasted delicious even if it did not look pretty.

Spring is here with the tulips, magnolias, camellias and other spring flowers in full glory. The weather has caved into cold and rainy, so we are hoping for sunshine so we can hide the Easter eggs in the garden for our grand-daughter to hunt. Now, dear readers, I wish you all a sunny, warm and wonderful Easter long weekend.

Hauskaa Pääsiäistä, Joyeuses Pâques, Frohes Ostern, Happy Easter!

Update: Some not-to-be-missed Easter posts at mirabilis: Ukrainian Easter traditions and the rabbit of Easter. Or is it bells?

Update: April 23rd, 2006: A little late for this year, but I want to save this for the archives: Ukrainian easter eggs-pysanky

*expired link has been removed

April 14, 2006 in Culture, Home by Marja-Leena