Easter is a religious holiday observed by Christians, but often also by the laity. From a religious point of view, it evokes the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As for the secular aspect, it is linked to events and initiatives such as family reunions, brunches and activities such as decorating eggs. Regardless of your motivations for celebrating Easter, there are many things you can do to commemorate this holiday.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make Easter a Fun Day for the Kids
Step 1. Paint the eggs
During the Easter period, you can find an egg decoration kit in almost every supermarket. Put them to boil and make them hard-boiled; then, let the children have fun decorating them for the Easter holidays.
- The eggs are usually placed in many containers, painted in different colors. To color them they are dipped in a dye.
- When coloring eggs, first check that the children are wearing old clothes. It's a job that gets dirty easily.
Step 2. Organize an Easter egg hunt
The egg hunt is one of the highlights of Easter. You can tell the children to hide the hard-boiled eggs that they have decorated themselves. Alternatively, you can fill some plastic eggs with candy and hide them around the house.
- If you opt for plastic eggs, fill them with cereal or pretzels if you prefer healthier snacks. Religious families sometimes put slips of Bible verses in us.
- Remember the places in the house where the eggs are hidden, in case the children can't find them all. This is especially true for real eggs, because at some point they will start to go bad.
- Some local communities organize a large-scale egg hunt, open to citizens. Check if they organize such events in your area as well.
Step 3. Make Easter baskets
Easter baskets are an important tradition. Young children really like to wake up with a basket full of Easter-related treats and items. During the Easter period these baskets are easily found in department stores. Fill them with toys and treats like candy and candy.
- If you are religious, add some plastic eggs with Bible verses in them.
- Snacks don't have to be unhealthy. If you prefer to give your children healthy food, put some fresh fruit in the baskets.
- Instead of things to eat, you can also use toys - for example, plastic animals or small soft toys.
Step 4. Make bunny-inspired baked goods
The Easter Bunny is always an exciting theme for children. Make rabbit-shaped baked goods. It's a fun way to get kids involved in party-related celebrations.
- You can make some sugary cookies with a rabbit-shaped mold.
- Bake three cinnamon rolls. Stick two together, giving them the shape of a snowman, and cut the third one in half. To make rabbit ears, attach the two halves to the sides of the end of a swivel, then decorate the cake with cream to color it white. For the eyes, you can use chocolate chips or blueberries.
Step 5. Get the children to help decorate the house
Children love to contribute to party decorations. Buy small decorations from department stores or "all for 1 euro" shops. You can also look for tutorials online to learn how to make them at home. For example, children can enjoy using felt or cardstock to make chicks or bunnies.
- The window stickers are very popular with small children, also because they are easy to attach.
- If you plan to offer an Easter brunch or lunch, encourage the children to make special place cards for the guests out of the card.
Method 2 of 3: Secular Celebration
Step 1. Take a walk or walk in the countryside with friends or family
The Easter period is often compatible with this type of activity, as the days begin to get warmer. If Easter falls in early spring where you live, take advantage of the good weather to celebrate your day outdoors. Spend Easter Sunday taking a long walk or walking a path in the middle of nature.
If you don't live in the countryside or in the mountains, you can simply take a walk around the neighborhood with family and friends. For example, instead of driving to your favorite ice cream parlor, you can go there on foot or by bicycle
Step 2. Plan an Easter brunch
Many love the idea of attending an Easter brunch, held in the early afternoon. You can go to a restaurant with a specific schedule for the day or, alternatively, you can invite family and friends to a traditional Easter lunch.
- Since the eggs are evocative of Easter themes, you can offer them in different variations; for example stuffed or scrambled.
- Another traditional Easter dish is baked ham. As a side dish you can offer mashed potatoes or glazed carrots.
- Try to adopt a color scheme inspired by the colors of spring. You can use for example plates, napkins, tablecloths and cutlery in pastel colors.
Step 3. Sow something to celebrate the life being born
Since Easter falls in spring in much of the world, it is generally experienced as a celebration of life. Pop into a nursery and buy some seeds, to sow in the garden or in pots. Growing new plants or flowers helps commemorate Easter with a welcome to the upcoming spring.
Step 4. Spend time with family and friends
Holidays are an excellent opportunity for us to spend some time with those we love and to have fun with them. Most people don't work at Easter: take advantage of it. Plan to spend a wonderful Easter day in the company of your loved ones.
For example, you can organize a lunch for Easter Sunday and invite a group of friends
Step 5. Take lots of photos to keep the memory of the event
Photos are a fun way to evoke moments of celebration. If you are at lunch, if you are attending brunch or other activities, remember to bring your camera. Your beautiful photos will help you keep the good times spent together at Easter in your memory for all the years to come.
Method 3 of 3: Religious Celebration
Step 1. Reflect on the specific meaning of each single day of the Easter triduum
There is not a single event at Easter. It is an entire Holy Week that culminates in the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. From the Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, take a pause to reflect on the biblical relevance of the events recalled. If special services are held in your church on these occasions, try to attend.
- The period from Palm Sunday to Holy Thursday is full of biblical stories about Christ's arrival in Jerusalem and his entry into the temple. On Holy Wednesday Judas decided to betray Jesus: from here begins the story of his persecution.
- During Holy Thursday the Last Supper is commemorated between Jesus and his disciples. Good Friday is the day of Jesus' death on the cross.
- Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday are the last days of the Easter period. These days we commemorate the resurrection of Christ.
Step 2. Attend Easter services celebrated in your church
Almost every Christian church officiates the solemn mass on Easter Sunday. What exactly the function consists of depends on the setting of the individual churches. Attending the Easter service serves to focus above all on the Christian messages that accompany the holiday. Attend Easter Sunday mass, which is held in the morning.
If you have small children, check if there are special catechism classes on Easter Sunday. Sometimes it can be difficult for children to understand the story of Christ's death due to the gory context. A qualified catechist can help them understand the meaning of Easter
Step 3. Read the story of Easter in the Bible
During the Easter triduum, he takes some time to read the entire story of Easter. It is ideal if you want to deepen the deep meaning of the holiday, beyond its playful implications. Recalling the reasons behind the Easter celebrations helps you feel fully involved in the traditions of your faith. Much of the Easter narrative is found in the New Testament, respectively in the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
If you have small children, try to get a children's Bible that deals with the Easter theme in detail. By helping yourself with this reading, you can explain the death and resurrection of Jesus in words that are also understandable to them
Step 4. Discuss Jesus' sacrifice with your family members
Easter is first of all the celebration of the divine act of offering His only child as a sacrifice for our sins. It is a very important topic to discuss as a family. On Easter morning and Holy Saturday, have a chat with your family about what this divine sacrifice means to you. Why do you feel gratitude for Jesus' sacrifice, death, and resurrection?
- A useful activity in this regard is to write down on a piece of paper as many times as you have committed a sin. Have everyone in the family commit to this task; then put all the sheets together.
- On Easter Sunday, destroy the papers. You could, for example, burn them in the fireplace or put them in the paper shredder. The symbolic meaning is the salvation that Jesus offers us by forgiving our sins. This way you can express gratitude for Christ's sacrifice.
Step 5. Focus on what this holiday means to you personally
Attending an Easter service or reading about Easter help you focus on the meaning of the anniversary, but also setting aside time on Easter Sunday to think about the meaning it has for you personally can be enlightening.
- Reflect on your faith. How has your life benefited from this? What have you learned from Christianity? How have your actions been influenced by Jesus' teachings?
- Your family members may also answer these questions. For example, you could go around the table and each could share an episode in which he behaved in a certain way thanks to the teachings of Christ.
Step 6. Celebrate in a secular way too
Even if you are religious, not all the activities you carry out during the Easter period must necessarily be linked to faith. Try to do other things too, like throwing a brunch or something fun with the family, like a walk. This is especially useful if you have relatives with a secular mindset, but who care about being close to you at this time of celebration.
