Finally spring! Easter, and decorating ideas

Spring is finally here!
Living in a country that is as dark as Sweden is in the winter, I think the arrival of spring--and light--is even more welcome here. And every year when spring comes I begin to look forward to Easter.

I love Easter! Ever since I was a kid and remember making a pact with my best friend, Kacey, to give something delicious up for Lent (notice the word trying)...Easter has always been an important time. For many people in Sweden these days, Easter means family time; many try to spend a week on the ski slopes. (Schools through high school have a week's Easter vacation). In the latest issue of a recipe magazine from our grocery store chain, Coop, there was an article about Easter with recipes. Loosly translated, the article, with an interview with Jonas Engman from Nordiska museet, says "Today Easter is more associated with food than religion....[For Easter] we eat a lot of extra things we normally do not eat. Now that religion has come to play a much smaller role, food is important for our holidays." (Coop's Mer smak tidning nr 3 2012). The article also mentions little tidbits about why certain foods are traditionally eaten for Easter, such as eggs; it also describes some religious history behind the holiday. Personally, I think this little article says a lot about Swedish society. Food is becoming even more important, since people need to create meaning surrounding a holiday that previously had a deeper meaning. What does this say about society as a whole? Or is this also a direct result of consumerism, more advertising from stores and people being more willing and able to spend more on occasions such as Easter food?

Personally, I want to make sure that Easter is an important time for our family. I also hope to enjoy some extra-special food, but it is also important to remember the reason behind the season.

In order to get ready for Easter, I have prepared a few Easter decorations that I thought I would share with you. We will color Easter eggs closer to Easter and do a few other things, but for now, I have worked on displaying my Easter egg collection. (On our travels, I have not been able to resist buying different kinds of lovely eggs, so now I have one small white plate with my dark eggs from Malaysia, one pot of eggs from Germany, etc...Along with teapots, eggs are something I love to collect...)

I frequently find that decorations that are to be hung, like bulbs at Christmastime, can actually become even more lovely if they are displayed in a group. Here I made a simple centerpiece for the table, using a glass cake stand, for displaying these glass eggs from the US.

I also wanted Yaminah to be involved in decorating, so she helped make a traditional Swedish Easter decoration. This is an old milk jug I found at a second-hand store, which I filled with branches and decorated with colorful (faux) leaves and my small German Easter eggs.

The final result is almost a little over the top, but Yaminah loved it. I also think it is bright and cheerful, almost like a little Easter tree. :) Large pots with branches and feathers are all over town now as well, as decorations outside of little shops.

There are a few weeks to go until Easter, so for now...Happy Spring!