Celebrating Easter with Hand painted Eggs and a Tree, by guest blogger Ingrid Lee.

I'm really happy to be writing and sharing my Easter themed artwork with you all again!  I had a lot of fun writing my last post here at Catholic Icing, about painting a Paschal candle and this time I've been invited to share my Easter Egg Tree. 

I didn't grow up celebrating Easter with an Easter egg tree, but because our family cultures are so diverse, I wanted to start creating traditions around our celebrations like Easter, which embrace those cultures and move it forward to a new generation.  Our family celebrates bits and pieces of traditions (especially baking!)  from a Russian Orthodox, and Catholic traditions from our Polish, German and Hungarian cultures, all mixed with an Australian flavor!

 

As children, we always painted our Easter eggs and cracked them in a game on Easter Sunday, and ate them with our lunch. Is this a tradition you practice? While Easter Eggs are traditionally connected with rebirth, rejuvenation and immortality, I thought I'd hand paint wooden eggs using traditional Easter motifs from our cultural background.  These eggs are display on our dinner table, so that over dinner we can talk to our children about Easter and traditions, and we can celebrate together, in a simple way, the coming Kingdom of God and Jesus’ love into our home. 

Initially my grand plan was to hand paint 40 eggs to represent the 40 days of Lent (I've still got six to go!).  And then, while researching designs for my eggs,  I also came across a fun idea of making an Easter Egg Tree.  This is a German tradition (which ticked a box!) where hollow eggs are hung on a “tree” made from spring branches like cherry blossoms.  Now, because it is Autumn in Australia during Lent, and we don't have pussy willows (a Polish Easter tradition) growing or cherry blossoms in bloom, I added synthetic branches to a vase, and then decorated it with my hand painted eggs.

This year I am going to adopt a new way of celebrating our Easter Tree, from an idea I found written by Rachel Keller.  Basically, two weeks before Easter Sunday, my children will place an Egg on the tree, and read out a verse from scripture which relates to that day.  Each egg has its own bag and verse written on a small strip of paper, which we will read and discuss together.  Depending on the age of the children you'll need to summarise it simply for them, but you get the idea!  I've included the list of days and verse from Rachel's website:

·    Day 1: Genesis 3:1-19 (God's first promise of sending a Redeemer)
·    Day 2: Genesis 22:1-14 (the story of Abraham and Isaac when God provides the ram for the offering)
·    Day 3: Exodus 12:21-30 (the first Passover)
·    Day 4: Numbers 21:4-9 (Moses and the brass serpent)
·    Day 5: Matthew 21:33-46 (parable of the unfaithful stewards)
·    Day 6: John 12:1-11 (Mary's anointing Jesus' feet with her hair)
·    Day 7: Matthew 21:1-11 (Jesus' triumphant entry--Palm Sunday)
·    Day 8: Matthew 26:14-30 (the Last Supper)
·    Day 9: Matthew 26:31-46 (the Garden of Gethsemane)
·    Day 10: Matthew 26:47-75 (Judas' betrayal)
·    Day 11: Matthew 27:11-31 (Jesus' trial before Pilate)
·    Day 12: Matthew 27:32-56 (the crucifixion)
·    Day 13: Matthew 27:57-66 (Jesus' burial)
·    Day 14: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark:16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-31 (the resurrection)

Have you made an Easter tree with your family?  What did you do with yours?  Is this an activity you've tried with your family?

Ingrid Lee is an artist, writer and educator about finding and exploring everyday creativity through art, porcelain painting, baking, embroidery and sharing the artworks of other inspiring people. Join her creative and inspiring adventures at Ingrid Creates.

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