How to Spend Easter with Children

Many of us see Easter as days off when we do not have to go to work. We dye eggs, braid Easter whips, go caroling, but often we do not know why this holiday came about. So what is it really with Easter, and how can we enjoy it with children?

What Easter is and when it is celebrated

Easter is the greatest holiday of the year for Christians, a reminder of the rebirth of Jesus Christ. Atheists then welcome spring with this holiday. It is one of the few holidays that does not have a fixed date and is therefore celebrated on different days each year. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, and the following day is Easter Monday, when, according to custom, people go caroling. The name comes from the phrase “great nights,” when Jesus was resurrected.

Easter traditions

In the world

In different countries around the world, this holiday is celebrated a little differently. For example, in the USA eggs are hunted for, in Mexico there is a traditional carnival parade, in Norway detective stories are read, in France lamb is cooked, in Greece eggs are dyed only red, in Finland children go caroling in witch costumes, and so on.

Here

Here, the biggest symbols of Easter are undoubtedly eggs and the Easter whip, without them it would not be the same. Eggs are dyed and decorated in various ways. Carolers receive them as a reward. Traditionally, the Easter whip is braided from willow twigs, which begin to grow in spring, and according to tradition, women who get “whipped” will be young and healthy for the whole following year. In return for caroling, carolers receive colorful ribbons for the whip.

How can children be entertained during Easter holidays?

Dressing by colors

The week before the holidays, each day of the week is named after a certain color. So with children, you can dress from head to toe every day in the color of that day.

Blue Monday, Gray/Yellow Tuesday, Ugly/Black Wednesday, Green Thursday, Good Friday (children may choose the color themselves), and White Saturday.

Dyeing and decorating eggs

Show children how to dye eggs using natural dyes. For example, onion skins dye eggs brown, beetroot pink, blueberries purple, spinach green, carrots orange, turmeric yellow, and so on. You can leave the eggs simply dyed, or you can decorate them further with rice or buckwheat, glitter, crayons, stickers; here, imagination truly has no limits.

Baking

Traditionally, for the holiday people bake a lamb cake, which according to tradition is part of the Christian flock, and mazanec, which symbolizes the sun and is made from the same dough as Christmas bread. They also bake Judas buns, which are shaped like a coiled rope on which Judas supposedly hanged himself. And just like at Christmas, in some families gingerbread cookies with Easter motifs are baked. Let the children help you bake, or they can help decorate the gingerbread cookies.

Sowing grain

Easter symbolizes the arrival of spring, and in spring farmers head out into the fields to work the soil and plant the first seedlings. At home, you can also plant some grain with the children and create a beautiful spring atmosphere. Children will be able to watch every day as a seed turns into a plant, which is very fascinating.

Braiding the Easter whip

Fathers can teach their sons how to braid an Easter whip. It is not exactly easy, but it will definitely keep the boys entertained for a while. In addition, spending time outdoors while looking for twigs will certainly do them no harm.

Decorations

Just like at Christmas, families decorate their homes. Instead of a Christmas tree and ornaments, little bunnies and chicks, decorative eggs, and the like appear on various shelves and windowsills. Willow branches, also called pussy willow, are perfect in a vase. On the dining table, a lamb cake or mazanec must certainly not be missing. Children can help you with the decorations by painting or modeling some ornament.

Caroling

On Easter Monday, boys and grown men traditionally go caroling. When children are still small, girls and boys go equally. If you live in a village, the caroling tradition is surely still kept there. In cities, it is more a matter of arranging it with people you know so they are prepared for you, because carolers receive rewards in the form of dyed eggs and some Easter sweets. So do not hesitate and head out with the children to carol.

Other Easter curiosities

It is also worth mentioning two more curiosities that are no longer widely kept here. The first is splashing with water. In addition to whipping with the Easter whip, men also splash women with cold water to make them youthful. The next morning, the roles are reversed.

The second curiosity is the saying “So that the lamb does not poop on you,” which says that we should receive something new to wear at Easter so that the lamb does not poop on us. If you do not know this custom or do not follow it, then there is nothing easier than including it in your family. Children will certainly not mind something new for their wardrobe, unless it is knitted socks, which are a common gift from Baby Jesus and children are not very excited about them. And for the youngest ones, you can get some Outlast clothing, which is perfect for this changeable spring weather.

Whether you celebrate Easter according to old traditions or have your own, the most important thing is to use these days for spending time with family and loved ones. Enjoy a few days off and get in the mood for the arrival of spring, which brings sunny days and gives nature the chance to wake up again after winter and show its beauty.