Easter traditions?

we dyed eggs - many were the traditional way, using wax crayon or pen to reverse the color process. Then we would each get to do our own special egg that reflected us or our design style. I loved this as all five of my brothers and sisters are creative and we did such interesting things with pipecleaners, foil, wax paper, construction paper and scissors, glue,etc. We got an extra special treat if we found our own special decorated egg.
The easter bunny hid the eggs in our yard. We had ham and scallopped potatoes, aspara"grass" as we called it and lemon meringue pie.
We also attended a community event, where they hid plastic eggs and silver dollars in a park. If you found a silver that had a red nail polish mark you got to pick from an assortment of gift baskets. All fun.
There would be a bbq and the adults would go all out on the fixings. I think this event was actually the Saturday before the Easter weekend.
Now,since I dont have kids but have 8 nieces and nephews, I send out cards and enclose a package of seeds to plant, wishing them a Happy Spring!
Sharon F.
Oakland, CA

My three daughters used to arrange their stuffed toys down our spiral staircase, and in the morning the Easter Bunny would have left a little chocolate egg for each toy. On his first visit he fell in love with 'Rosie Rabbit' and from then on left her a love poem. (Imagine me sitting up late at night, gnawing on a carrot and searching for inspiration.) Next morning Rosie would always be found downstairs with her nose to the glass of the front door.

When I was little in the 50's my Easter basket came from a trip to Mexico when I was an infant (Dad was stationed in Texas). Mother took my picture with that basket for years as it was gigantic against little toddler me. You could visibly see how much I grew from year to year...my mother was also a scrapbooker. I still have her albums of black paper with photos and her white writing mostly of trips she took before marrying my dad. When my girls were little we dyed eggs using onion skins, turmeric, red cabbage leaves (turns the eggs a beautiful shade of blue) and other natural materials. That was in our "back-to-nature" years. Anyway the girls are grown but we still talk about those days and no white shoes before Easter, sunrise services, and egg hunts. We never focused too much on the bunny (or the jolly elf at Christmas) although everyone likes the chocolate and other goodies. Happy Resurrection Day. B

Might sound cheesey.. but we just started something with Miranda, we plant seeds, any sort will do and water them in the front yard. We talk about the MAGIC that the day will bring and the miracles that will happen (this is good for most religions because of the raising of Christ, but you can insert just the Easter "Magic") and in the morning, where we planted & watered the magic seeds.. Lollipops grow.. it's fun and easy, just be sure to explain the "magic of easter" otherwise, kids think that lollipops will grow anytime of year (which is what happened to us LAST year)

mine is not so heart warming but it is a memory I equate with Easter ...
My parents had just gotten a divorce. I really missed my dad. I woke one morning to my brothers dying eggs at the kitchen table. (they were not nice guys...most of the time) They called me over and said that dad had just stopped by and that he dyed an egg especially for ME! He wanted me to crack it open as soon as I got it....
so, gulliable me....followed along...
I pulled that egg up with such gusto and excitement since it was from dad...
smash on to the table...
RAW egg everywhere. My dad was not ever there... Meanies....They still are!

I love reading everyones traditions. I guess I will be the first one to share this FUN tradition! For as long as I can remember, our family has always done confetti eggs for Easter. We blow the raw egg out of the shells, rinse them out, and then dye them. After they dry, we take about 1/4 of the shell off the end, and then fill them with confetti. We cut tissue paper into small circles, and glue them to cover the opening. On Easter day, after hiding and finding them, we take the confetti eggs and run around cracking the eggs on eachothers heads! It gets crazy...it's a typical Mexican family tradition and we love it! The adults have as much fun as the kids! We also fill plastic eggs so the kids have treats to take home too.

I loved reading everyone's comments. So cute about the bunny tracks on people's porches and driveways. No one where I live have ever heard such a thing.
Growing up, we always had pancakes on Good Friday. I also make pancakes or homemade waffles for my family. Saturday before Easter, we color eggs with the children. A few days before Easter, I will make pickled eggs for my husband. It was a family tradition he grew up with that I do for him.
We don't do Easter Bunny. My oldest was afraid of a make believe giant rabbit. So we dropped the bunny. Baskets are filled with an outfit, a few pieces of candy and a toy. The older children get an outfit and peeps or favorite candy. We always hide the baskets for them to search and find. We would hide hard boiled eggs throughout the house for them to find. One year, our dog found most of the eggs and ate them. When we woke up, there was a pile of egg shells outside our bedroom door. All we could do was laugh.
Sunday morning, we attend the sunrise service and have breakfast at the church. Later we visit family and have a wonderful dinner together followed by the traditional Easter Egg Hunt.
This year, there is so much to be grateful for. Only two weeks ago, my father fell 20 feet from a tree and broke his neck. Two surgeries later, he is home, walking and on his way to recovery. He has months of physical therapy ahead of him, but we are so grateful to God.

We do the usual things... painting eggs, decorating the house a bit and the Easter Bunny leaves chocolates and a few presents.
I think we are actually going to start a new tradition this year and oddly enough my kids brought it up tonight. We were talking about baking something soon and I suggested a cake - my kids were a little confused because to them cakes are for birthdays and then my son suggested that we make a cake for the Easter Bunny. So, the Easter Bunny is going to get a cake - maybe carrot cake!!

My grandfather always planted his garden on Good Friday. It may have been just because he was off work that day, but to me it was a little more symbolic. Planting new life, birth from the lifeless soil.
Jennie

I know you might not see this being #109, but I have 3 words that changed my family's life forever.....
RAW! EGG! FIGHT!
Best thing ever! I'm not kidding! EVER!!

I know you might not see this being #109, but I have 3 words that changed my family's life forever.....
RAW! EGG! FIGHT!
Best thing ever! I'm not kidding! EVER!!

You are such an amazing story teller, and to say an inspiration to all is an understatement, perhaps combining your passions, with your family you can create a new tradition. I will explain further.
Beth Wollweber

Every year we have a "best egg" contest. The whole extended family must bring a decorated egg from home. After the contest,which is divided by age, is completed the real fun begins. We all go outside and hit the eggs with baseball bats. It is so cool to see the boiled egg splatter all over the yard. Sometimes it looks like fireworks coming off of the bat!
I have only had internet access for about a week now. Ok everyone pick yourself up off the ground from laughing so hard. I love the blog! Keep it up!!

Since as long as I could remember we have had a huge picnic with extended family at someones ranch or huge yard. We would have a huge pot luck with everything you could eat and possibly want. After we ate, then it was time for the easter egg hunt, special eggs for the older kids and then on to the pinata for the littlest kids. After all that was done, we had a big softball or football game. It was fun to have my grandmother swinging the bat with the rest of us and having someone run for her! Have a wonderful Easter and God Bless.

We started a fun tradition last year: a treasure hunt. The kids hunt for eggs which are filled with clues, leading to more eggs, more clues...and finally ending up at the treasure--which can be whatever you want. We usually choose a little fun present for each kid involved. That way they get something they want and will play with, rather than a giant pile of candy. (though we do Easter baskets too--and there's some candy in there!) All kids involved LOVED this last year, so we're making it an annual thing. Have a FUN Easter, no matter what you choose to do!

So many great traditions here!
The best tradition I have created is one for my sisters and friends. Every few years, I give them all new egg slicers!
I don't know about you but, my kids have always just totalled those little wires on mine. Everyone needs a new one the day after Easter, to make egg salad sandwiches.
I put them in baggies with Easter grass, maybe an Easter napkin and make a simple topper with scrap supplies. Everyone has really loved them.

Hi Ali!
******To show evidence/proof that the Easter bunny arrived, we make a stencil of his footprint and use powdered sugar to make footprints of his path to and from the Easter baskets. Our boys love it!*****

When the girls were little, Wilbur (the Easter Bunny) would decorate our kitchen. (The kitchen is the hub of our house!) When the girls woke up on Easter morning, Wilbur had deposited their baskets on the kitchen table. He had also hung plastic Easter eggs from the ceiling -- throughout the entire kitchen. Some years he also strung lights (usually peeps or carrots!) across the kitchen. They were always delighted and it made the house look very festive!

So many wonderful traditions! Our family traditions are very traditional, I guess. We dye eggs the night before (the Easter Bunny always uses a white crayon and writes each persons name on an egg before they're put out to dye so when the dye hits the shell, the name is revealed - the kids always wonder how this happens!)and leave our baskets out for the Easter Bunny to fill and hide somewhere in the house. My oldest son, who is nine, has always loved this tradition, rummaging around the house to find his basket (and yes, it was left in the dryer one year - he loved it!). We also feed the Easter Bunny with carrots (the kind with the green leafy ends), Easter eggs, and milk. We attend church in the morning in our new spiffy outfits and have the rest of the family over for an Easter Egg Hunt and a delicious dinner. My husband's great grandfather wrote two books of poetry that were published years ago. He always finds a poem to read to everyone from one of these books before saying grace and beginning our dinner (always ham and homemade scalloped potatoes, carrot cake - my mouth is watering!). You've all inspired me...I think I'll surprise my sons and neice and nephew this year with a new twist on the Easter Egg Hunt...each will have a color to find and one of their eggs will have a clue to another small surprise somewhere in the house (we live in Michigan and are being told that Sunday will be a far cry from the spring weather we've been enjoying the last couple weeks!). Oh well...Easter is about a much bigger thing than the weather! Happy Easter, Ali!

One year we made decorations for an Easter "Tree" which would always be forscythia branches. We blew the insides out of the eggs and then dyed them. (I think my mom probably somehow cleaned the insides first.) We then added some ribbon/ric-rac to them so that they would hang on the branches.