Easter Traditions

[soccerdad72]

Easter has always been at my parents' house. Lately, with schedules of everyone being what they are, we've gathered for Easter Saturday instead of Sunday, and just do a day trip (they're about a 2 hour drive from my brother and I) instead of spending a night there. We still do egg coloring and a ham dinner. Up until last year, we also did an Easter egg hunt (even with the kids much older now), but it got to a point where my dad, who was the one hiding the eggs, would forget where some of the eggs got hidden, so we stopped that.

This will actually be the last Easter at my parents' house (the house I grew up in), as they sold it and are finally moving into a one-story, no maintenance home in April.

 

[tony67]

We have many traditions and celebrations yet due to the “circle” getting smaller, I have to pick and choose importance based on my own criteria.

This year, not sure what I’m going to celebrate or with who. Better hurry and decide because time is running out.

Yeah - we were discussing this weekend actually and said we probably wont do anything at all.
We just had St Patrick's Day and Easter is just too close this year.

Most years we were doing most holidays just for my parents and kids.
Well kids are working and parents are gone so even less reason.

The freedom of not doing anything is pretty nice.

 

[evilmommie]

Usually the Easter celebration is at my home. Big buffet of fun spring foods and an egg hunt for all ages, including the great-grandparents.
The actual day we do it on varies based on how many of us we can get together. Our family members are first responders and many of them work Easter, but we will pick another day! This year, on Easter we’re watching our almost 6 month old grandson, as both of his parents (LEO’s) are working.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Pizza Rustica
Sweet Grain Easter Pie (canned wheat and citron)
Coloring Eggs
Hiding the plastic eggs
Making Baskets and giving gifts like a mini Christmas

Haven't done the Stations of the Cross in ages but thinking it might bring me some much needed calm and looking for services in our new town. I loved it when I was a kid in Catholic School getting a break for Mass and the Stations Service every week, by Good Friday it was a half day.

 

[mjkacmom]

This will be the first year my family won’t be together, I’m sad. Dd21 is flying back to college this Sunday from Italy, so it would be nuts for her to fly here that Friday, dd23 just got back to Boston from Cabo. They were my Easter egg dyers, and only ds21 lives at home. Every year, all 5 kids slept here Saturday night, and have an egg hunt Easter morning. My oldest is 27 so I guess it’s time…

 

[mmbrad02]

Our traditions have varied over the years but always church on Sunday morning. That is the one consistent.

We always go for the weekend to my parents house, so as DD was growing up she got her basket at various times - when she was little and not aware of the calendar, we often gave it to her on Friday before we hit the road. Many years she has arrived at home on Sunday night to find it. I think I took it to my parents once, but they are aging and their house is cluttered so it was kind of a "not doing that again situation". DD is now 13 and will still get a basket - I enjoy gathering things and making it fun for her and I got well one into my adult years so I'm perfectly fine with it

Saturday my parents church does a big egg hunt and DD LOVES that her age can still participate - she loves gathering the candy up, any prizes is just a bonus. I love holding on to the kid years as long as I can. My nephew who is 20 has been the Easter bunny at this egg hunt for years so that is fun also.

This year we didn't want mom cooking a big meal - while she is capable, she does have memory issues and it's just chaotic and overwhelming and quite honestly puts her in a sour mood (she is otherwise pretty easy). It's tricky though because simply offering to do it for her, she gets emotional and rude and claims we think she can't do it and we are taking it away from her. It's a balancing act of wanting to help but also keep her happy. So Saturday after the egg hunt my sister and I are cooking our "nice" meal at my sisters house. A little untraditional and new for us - but we are having meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and dessert.

Sunday will be church and afterwards we are having a tray of Subway sandwiches, chips, dessert. Simple and on nice Easter paper plates. It will be at my parents house - easy "cooking" and easy clean up. And also won't leave us feeling so miserable all afternoon

One tradition we have done in the past that I did tell DD we are omitting this year was she always planted jelly beans that bloomed suckers the next day. It was fun when she was little and I feel she would probably chose to continue if given the choice, but I do feel as a teenager that is something we can cut out.

 

[LilyWDW]

Already celebrated Ostara and the Spring Equinox.

 

[TippyThomas]

We used to have a friends and family type meal and get together when my parents were alive, but there really isn't anything I do now.

 

[cabanafrau]

Our church has a big breakfast that we will attend before service. Have had to ditch all the other traditions of the day to accommodate the needs of our parents' failing health unfortunately. Been feeling a little blue about it actually.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

We give my Godson an empty Easter basket, and then he hunts for plastic eggs with clues in them. Each clue points to a treat or small gift. He is the rare child who does not like candy. At all. He likes savory things, so he hunts for cans of Pringles, flavored pretzels, Doritos, etc.

Around this time of year, my late uncle made a savory pie called Easter Pie. It has ricotta cheese, sausage, two other cheeses and hard boiled eggs enclosed in a crust and baked. You eat it cold. He got ill in 2019 and passed in early 2020, so it hasn't been made in nearly five years. My cousin asked me to give it a try, so this year on Easter week I will be attempting to bake one.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Easter dinner (ham and all the fixings) at my house. Easter egg hunt and Easter baskets for the grandchildren.

They really look forward to it!

 

[disneydreamer781]

Just me and DH going to Eddie V's for Easter lunch. I'm so happy that I don't have to do the family thing anymore. I stopped going years ago because holidays with my family were just not pleasant (too much alcohol and a lot of drama) and now that my parents are gone, I don't have the guilt of not keeping in touch with my siblings in eight years. What a relief!

 

[easyas123]

No plans for us really, besides the usual weekend chores.

 

[dizneegirl]

I must have a chocolate bunny. Other than that... anything goes!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

In the morning the kids get baskets. Later We do a big Easter egg hunt which even my teens always want to do because the golden egg has a $20 bill in it lol. Then we have a big Easter party/dinner with the whole extended family, and after we eat we “peck” eggs, where everyone grabs a dyed boiled egg and you kind of tap the ends against each other, whichever doesn’t break wins snd goes on to peck other winners until there’s one winning egg. That person has bragging rights for the year, and brag they do lol. There was a controversy last year when my BiL brought a wooden egg he painted to look real lol. It’s always fun

I am SO excited to read your post!! Our family does the same thing!! I'm almost 57 and have done this "egg cracking" game my entire life. It's something my grandfather's family did way back in the early 1900's. I have never met anyone who has done this or even heard of it!! It's such a fun and special tradition for us. My grandfather has been gone since 1983, but we talk about him every Easter while we crack eggs!!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I am SO excited to read your post!! Our family does the same thing!! I'm almost 57 and have done this "egg cracking" game my entire life. It's something my grandfather's family did way back in the early 1900's. I have never met anyone who has done this or even heard of it!! It's such a fun and special tradition for us. My grandfather has been gone since 1983, but we talk about him every Easter while we crack eggs!!

Wow it is neat to hear of someone else doing this! Outside of my family I’ve never heard of anyone doing it or even knowing what it is either. I googled it recently though and it is actually a real tradition. We’re not just crazy lol. It’s nice to hear about how you carry on your grandfathers traditions, we’ve been doing this in our family forever and no one knows how it started. It is fun though!

 

[HappyGal]

Egg in a beer!

Besides the traditional Easter egg hunt and brunch with mimosas…we crack a raw egg into a beer and drink it (very quickly). Not sure where it originated but it’s fun!

 

[RedAngie]

Here is an odd one I have heard of from a friend in Prague - I still am not sure I believe it though

Tradition says that women should be spanked with a whip in order to keep their health, beauty and fertility throughout the following year.

According to 2019 survey, 60% of Czech households follow the tradition of spanking (or watering) someone on Easter Monday

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_whip#:~:text=Tradition says that women should,watering) someone on Easter Monday.

Easter Monday is called Dyngus Day in Poland. A traditional is to sprinkle friends with water. Young men are supposed to spank young ladies they favor with pussywillow branches.

 

[anniemae]

We are celebrating this weekend since it works better for most everyone in the family. We will have ham and the fixings. We also do a ziti bake with home made meatballs for those who don't like ham.

For the actual holiday, DH and the kids and I will probably go for a long walk on the beach and I will make us a non-traditional dinner. Some ideas that were suggested were tacos/fajitas, beef stew with crusty bread, and chicken pot pie. I am leaning towards the tacos LOL.

 

[slo]

Traditions have changed for us due to my DD25 not being by us and my DD20 being at college. New traditions for the last couple years is always church during Holy Week (we are devout Catholics). I’m a Lay Minister/Lector so I am part of the Easter Sunday Mass. Afterwards we join both sets of parents for brunch at a very nice restaurant. Personally, I prefer having everyone to our house for Easter dinner, but the parents enjoy brunch now, so brunch it is.

Happy Easter to all!