After a long and arduous Lent compounded by lockdown, some Easter activities can breathe new life back into your house, writes Jason Osborne
If Lent is a challenge every year, it has been an arduous slog this year in particular. We’ve already given up so much that we took for granted, and we found ourselves asked to give up more without recourse to our usual outlets.
However, Easter is upon us at last and with it the spirit of life that the risen Christ breathed upon the apostles, and through them, us. While this is a very deep thing, some of the ways in which we can partake in this joy are little more than uplifting fun, which is exactly what the whole family needs right now, particularly the youngest among us.
These activities can be as complicated or simple as you choose to make them, but the greatest effects will be seen if they are done together and with the meaning of Easter in mind.
Easter egg hunt
Last week, I wrote about the idea of decorating eggs (possibly with Easter-time symbols of the Resurrection and biblical stories) as a way to see children through the final stretch of Lent. A more enjoyable activity for them as Easter Sunday approaches might be the good, old-fashioned Easter egg hunt.
With all of the time spent indoors these days, an outdoor egg hunt is ideal if the weather permits it. This year, why not incorporate some new elements into the activity? Try adding a special golden egg (or any other kind of egg) and rewarding with a special prize the person who chances upon it.
Easter baskets
Easter baskets are an American tradition, and have since become quite commercialised, stuffed full of chocolate, sweets and other treats. There is of course nothing wrong with this, particularly with the year that’s in it, but the original Easter baskets were a way to celebrate the end of Lenten penance. Many of the foods that traditionally went uneaten during Lent, such as cheese, butter, eggs and meat, were placed in the basket and blessed.
These days, as mentioned, it’s more popular to go with sweets and chocolate. For the sugar conscious, the baskets can also include small toys, books, flowers, or any kind of religious paraphernalia that raises the mind to God in an age-appropriate way. In today’s world, it’s good to offer reminders of the feast days without being condescending or pushy about them. In this instance, it’s an opportunity to remind each other of the great feast of the Resurrection – it’s not just an opportunity to stuff yourself with chocolate.
A blessing of the family table
Once upon a time, some Christian families used to partake of a “blessing of the table,” which saw a priest, the head of the household or another family member bless the Easter meal with holy water. In a world that’s as fractious as ours, a simple, physical reminder of the importance of sitting down to a meal together is a worthwhile inclusion in your Easter Sunday itinerary.
Making a homemade triptych
A triptych is a work of art that is divided into three panels that are hinged together and can therefore be folded shut or displayed open. A kind of art that is often employed in churches, the most famous triptych, or one of the most famous, in our modern world is Hieronymous Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, which has stoked scholarly debate for years.
However, nothing of that sort need be achieved for our purposes. Large, panelled triptychs using three pictures or three Easter symbols make for a prayerful background for a home altar or elsewhere in the house. They can be made of three equal panels of cardboard connected together with gummed tape so that the panels will fold.
A triptych could be made using three symbols combined with the following feasts:
– Ascension Crown
– Pentecost Dove
– Trinity Triangle
A similar triptych, using pictures instead, might include:
– The Passion
– The Death
– The Resurrection
Alternatively, a triptych could be constructed showing three saints who embody the Easter message in one way or another, such as:
– St John
– Mary, the Mother of God
– St Peter
The options are endless, with many varied sources for inspiration too; the Bible foremost among them. Young children could have the triptych constructed for them by a parent, leaving them free to work away at it with paint or crayons.
A couple of symbols worth suggesting to them to keep their eyes on Heaven might include:
– Passion: A crown of thorns or a cross might be depicted on one of the panels, the age-old symbols of Christ’s Passion.
– Easter: A circle or a ring has long been associated with eternity, symbolising having no beginning or end. It has often been used to depict eternal life, or God himself.
– Ascension: A golden crown, displaying the triumph and reign of Jesus Christ over the forces of sin and death might be appropriate for this panel. It also offers a chance to reflect on the relationship between the crown of thorns and the crown of glory, with the two facing each other on the opposing panels.
A “wreath of victory”
St Paul speaks of the “imperishable wreath” of victory that will bequeathed to those who run the race of faith to the very end. In Ireland, we’re well familiar with Advents wreaths, but rarely do we take the opportunity to make “victory wreaths” for Easter – an activity which can be fun and educational for children in the house.
Let’s pray that he gives us eyes to see his victory more easily in this troubled world”
There are a number of tutorials online for making wreaths from scratch, which involve some time and materials. However, if you’re inclined to take a simpler route for the time being, wreaths can be purchased online or from most florists. These can then be entwined with whichever flowers you like, or with ribbons adorned with verses from Scripture.
These are but a few simple ideas with which to ring in the era of God’s reign, but they are well needed to keep up the spirits at this difficult time. Let’s pray that he gives us eyes to see his victory more easily in this troubled world.