Saturday 3 April 2010

Let The Hare Sit.


It's Easter weekend, and although we are not Christian we celebrate our own version of the Spring/Fertility Eostre festival. It's such a lovely time to celebrate the turning wheel of the year, and all the new life that is springing forth all around us. One of the favourite things we do is put up and Easter Tree, and even if this year's tree was late going up, it finally got done today at the eleventh hour!


This morning was a beautiful sunny, almost summery morning, the air was laden with a warm breeze, and the sea sounded in holiday mode, somehow that bit jauntier as it hushed over the stones on the beach.
But we were a bit slow getting up and out and by the time we started to assemble it the sky had grumbled down low on top of us and suddenly we had hailstones! It didn't deter them however and out they went in their pyjamas to fill the pot, shrieking and giggling like mad.


So even though we didn't do much egg blowing and painting like we did in previous years, the two little ones were delighted to do this much.


So I am curious. Do you celebrate Easter? And if so what family traditions do you practice? I do love to know what other families do on the occasion of a seasonal celebration.
I think it must be having four children, but I do find I create less time to do all the things we did when there was just the two older ones. And every year I promise myself I'll be more organised. And even if I'm not this year, next year they'll be that little bit older and I'll have more time(!).


So next year there will be more Easter baking, there will be Hot Cross Buns, and homemade chocolates, an Easter Egg hunt in our garden, because I am going to be super organised, right?
We will be having an Egg Hunt tomorrow, and possibly another one on Monday, and I hope to have some sweet pictures from that.


So a Happy Easter to you if you do celebrate! And do enjoy all that chocolate. In fact, have one for me!

20 comments:

Erin said...

Beautiful tree centerpiece. :)

Rima Staines said...

A beautiful Easter tree Ciara :)
Wishing your whole gang a delightfully eggy day! xxx

Anonymous said...

I found a really cool easter egg shop in French Church Street in Cork....with the most delicious looking chocolate eggs and bars and bunnies and cocoa beans and a virtual Wonkaville of chocolate....must stop now before I get too excited....

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah...I nearly forgot to wish you all a Happy...gobble yum yum slurp mmmmmm.....Easter!!!

Sara said...

I love your Easter tree... so beautiful and fun!

Our Easter celebration is more of a celebration of Spring here. We make our Easter eggs, we bake cupcakes, we go for nature walks... and most years we go kite flying, because for whatever reason the wind is always blowing well on Easter day here. :)

xx

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Such a pretty tree. Such fun.
I am exhausted from delivering Easter boxes to all my friend, big and small. Climbing over garden gates, hiding boxes under lambs ears and petunias really wears a girl out. Fortunately the weather was perfect for this sort of activity... and I wasn't caught once!! So each box can be a surprise, as it was intended!

Wishing you a lovely day, Ciara!!

Susan said...

Hello Ciara...Yes, we do, indeed, celebrate Easter. I posted on decorations, stories, etc. a lot on my blog. If you have a chance, check it out. Your decorations are very sweet. I wish you a happy spring! Sincerely, Susan

Shaista said...

I wouldn't say we celebrate Easter in any defined way, no I have never chased after an egg, or painted an egg come to that. Looking at these pictures makes me want to wake Mum up and demand Why Not?? It looks so much fun!
Happy Easter - enjoy doubly for me too!!

Casey said...

We used to make a little Easter egg tree when the children were little. However they are all far from home now (Toronto, Shanghai, and a little town in Maine) so no tree. This year there won't even be a special meal as my husband is in Texas. Time marches on and everything changes. Enjoy your holidays when everyone is tiny and nearby. Our little eggs were not nearly as delightful as yours...but we loved them still.

Elizabeth said...

What lovely traditions you have. We have many of the same, but both my boys are away from us this Easter, visiting their grandparents across the country. If feels weird.

On another note, I've enjoyed going over to your other blog on music and fashion, listening to the wonderful musicians -- I love your taste in music!

Gigi Thibodeau said...

Happy Easter, Ciara & Happy Spring! We celebrate Easter in conventional and wonderfully traditional ways when we spend it with extended family and less conventional ways when it's just us. My husband's family is Polish Catholic, and I love their traditions and foods. This year it's just the two of us, so we'll cook dinner together and go for a long hike to see all the new flowers and buds that have suddenly emerged just this weekend.

I love your Easter tree! Hope you have a wonderful day. xo

Glamour-Och-Fläskpannkaka said...

lovely pictures!

Mimi said...

Hi Ciara, LOVE your Easter tree.
I've done the egg-painting in previous years, but mine are'nt too interested any more.
Gotta go get that tree up!
Have a lovely Easter!

Stephanie V said...

Easter here is all about family and a meal together. Oh, and those lovely chocolate eggs. We have them hidden for the kids. This year they're going to hide some for us big kids, too.

Have a happy celebration!

Elaine Prunty said...

first photo is beautiful....the easter tree and it's eggs are a lovely alternative to chocolate eggs full of fat and sugar. ( though i know very necessary if children are involved ) ..we are similarly unhindered by christian convention and had a lovely walk on dollymount beach and saw 15 basking seals that joe had thought were a ship wreck ! i did indulge in a little bit of lindt orange essence but that really had nothing to do with easter....

and re your recent comment.....i don't know what you mean ?????

Dorn said...

My daughter is 17-months-old and we have a son on the way. This year several friends had Easter egg hunts that my daughter really enjoyed. As non-christian parents, we were torn as to what tradition to begin with our family. Because she is so young and doesn't realize she's missed anything, we didn't put out a basket with goodies like tradition holds. For the future though, I'll see what my wife thinks of your of your Easter/Spring tree as an option. I remember loving to decorate eggs when I was a kid and hadn't planned to keep that from ours. Thank you once again for sharing your beautiful pictures and pieces of your life with us. Happy Spring!

Martin said...

You have left me a wonderful image in my mind Ciara, with your simple, uncomplicated celebration of Spring. Enjoy.

Hannah M. said...

That Easter tree is so pretty and cool!

Anne said...

Beautiful Easter tree!...

We love a early morning Easter egg hunt down here....:)

LeAnn said...

Bunny cake.

http://dinnerattheosbornes.blogspot.com/2010/04/bunny-cake.html