We love our spring celebration. In the past couple of years we've dramatically simplified our traditions (and the amount of both sweets and stuff that come into our world), and it has created a more magical meaningful day for us all.
In our family, Easter is a seasonal (rather than religious) celebration. That being said, it is still rich with meaning and magic. We do visioning for the future and create a new beginning for the next seasonal chapter in our lives. And there is so much magic to be had by all.
There are a few elements we are sure to include each year. The weekend begins with an epic spring cleaning. The kids get involved too, Sage chooses whole rooms to be responsible for and Lupine is a helper in several rooms. We clean from morning until mid-day, then cut the kids loose to play a bit before lunch time. Pete and I keep going right through until dinner. While I am a bit of a clutter bug, this is one of the most symbolic and healing traditions. A clean slate. A fresh start. A new beginning.
Then on Sunday, the Spring Bunny/Easter Bunny hides eggs in our yard. Every year the kids reported that this was the best part of the day. We laugh until our sides ache at the silly antics the kids enjoy and the ridiculous places that bunny hides eggs. (In the compost? Really!?) Such an adventure!
And then there is the Wish Bunny. The Wish Bunny is drawn from the Pagan tradition of not only receiving during your Ostara celebration, but of giving as well. Someone needle felted the bunny shown at the top of the post (perhaps late, late and night the night before Easter last year. Ahem.) to replace the five-year old foil-wrapped chocolate bunny we had been using for ages. The Wish Bunny hides away in the yard as well, and when she is found, the child who finds her calls the others to gather around. The wish bunny brings a few special treats (cookies, chocolates, crystals) and each child chooses if they want to give a gift to the bunny, whisper a wish in her ear, and take one of her gifts. I love the wish bunny so much.
And then there are the baskets.
Our baskets have become simplified down to just a few handmade treasures and a small stash of treats. This year the children found an amethyst crystal tucked into a felt bunny pouche (a simplified, last-minute craft inspired by these), wool bunnies in mint tin beds (made from old wool sweaters and inspired by -among others- these, these, these, and these), lupine and sage seeds (how could anyone resist?), and beeswax egg candles. There were a few food-coloring free jelly beans and a small handful of carob covered almonds and some tamari nuts. That was it.
And they were thrilled.
We spent the rest of the day canoeing on a nearby lake in the wind and the sunshine and enjoyed an Easter egg salad picnic in the boat. Such a perfect spring day.
So here's to homegrown magic, to celebrations, and to the warm spring sunshine on our faces. Hope your day was brimming with magic too!
Love,
Rachel
I am going to adopt your words that decluttering is a healing tradition. Thanks for helping me remember that.
Thank you! You have inspired me so much. Not only to get going on my spring cleaning but to keep things simple and not too sweet! Happy Spring to you and yours!
I demand a tutorial for the bunny! 😛
I couldn’t recall where the bunny inspiration came from but I found it! Hop on over and take a peek. Hee hee. http://rhythmofthehome.com/spring-2011/bunny-needle-felting-waldorf-craft/
Thanks!
Sounds like a perfectly magical day!
Sounds like a beautiful day! I love the wish bunny!
Becca
I love this so much! I am bookmarking it as inspiration for next year… xo
adorable and inspiring. thanks for sharing!
This is so lovely. My son and nephew are not really old enough for Easter (in your case Spring) baskets yet, but when they are I absolutely love the idea of putting seeds in them so they can take care of and nurture something. What a brilliant idea you had!
Oh, and I LOVE the minimal waste and minimal plastic involved! That is practically the best part for this grown-up!
I made my kiddos those bunny pouches, too! So sweet. I really limited the sweets this year, and they were happy with their baskets. They seemed to like the fabric eggs I made a lot, pretending to have their own egg hunt in the house.
What a lovely day!! This is the first year we did “Easter” with our 3 year old. There was no mention of the Easter bunny, just a few small gifts awaiting him at breakfast. I do like your idea of the spring bunny, cute! We spent the rest of the day with my parents and a good portion of that was outside in the woods exploring and enjoying nature.
We are still working on how we will approach it next year, but you have given me some wonderful, fun ideas here, thanks.
Some lovely ideas here! My son has just turned two years old, so most of it is lost on him but I have high hopes for next year 🙂
Good way to incorporate some fun into cleaning, well done!
i love the little reused tins for beds/homes!! i have a few tins lying around and a 2 year old who LOVES putting things to bed (seems to be a popular game for most little girls around this age…hmmm). and thanks for a look into your ways of celebrating. good inspiration!!
Wow! That sounds like the most perfect day. My husband and I were both raised in the Catholic Church but left once we became adults and decided to make Easter a spring celebration with our children like you. You have given me some great ideas! Although I have to admit, we come from very large, very mainstream families and it is hard to spend holidays with them and celebrate in the way you describe…