USVI-On-Line

In the beginning of this week we had sunshine, still not warm weather, but we felt that spring was near. But yesterday it rained most of the day, and today we woke up to such a landscape outside our windows:

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PSk ... 9330"><img src="http://lh3.google.dk/benthe44/R-TpGsHY3 ... G.jpg"></a>



<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PSk ... 2002"><img src="http://lh3.google.dk/benthe44/R-TpPsHY3 ... G.jpg"></a>


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PSk ... 5698"><img src="http://lh3.google.dk/benthe44/R-TpjsHY3 ... G.jpg"></a>


Today we will visit some friends and have our traditional Easter lunch with fish, meat, cheese etc.,
and very important - Easter beers and snaps! Our house is decorated with small yellow plush chickens, eggs and daffodils (not plush but real). Also a tradition. Not so many decorations as in Christmas, but still enough to make you feel it's Easter.

A couple of times we have been in Spain in Easter and have seen the Easter processions.

So that makes me thinking. What about you Americans? Do you have some special Easter traditions?

Happy Easter!

Linne

I think American Easter traditions can vary, probably depending on your ethnic background. We are Italian Americans and in our family the Easter fast was broken with a platter of hard boiled eggs, orange slices, salami and ricotta salata cheese.
Easter dinner started with a soup my grandmother made which had chicken, escarole, and hard sausauge. After that the meal varied.

As a child easter sunday mass was a big deal, we have pictures of my folks and siblings in front of the house dressed in our matching easter outfits, spring coats, hats, bags and gloves before going to church. Today Im more a retired catholic.

PS
My bulbs are starting to poke through, but they are very slow this year. I had to buy some at the garden center and force them so I could have some tulips in the house for easter.

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Hi Linne:

I love hearing the way you celebrate your holidays.

I live in a small town in Pennsylvania. The majority of the people in my area are what we call Pennsylvania Dutch. The Pennsylvania Dutch are the descendants of German immigrants who came to Pennsylvania prior to 1800.

We decorate our house with plush bunnies and chicks, pastel colored easter eggs and easter baskets. Our tradition is to wake to easter baskets filled with candy for the children (the Easter Bunny comes while they sleep similar to Santa Clause). We dress special for the holiday. The little boys in suits and the little girls in fancy pastel colored dresses with hats and white gloves. We attend a special Easter Church service (Luthern) and come home to a family dinner.

We bake a Ham with brown sugar, pinapples, and cherries, we have bread filling, potatoe filling, and vegtables (mostly corn and green bean cassarole). An of course we have LOTS of desserts. Our entire family comes.

My Grandmother usually cooks but this year she is unable to due to her age. I will be cooking and will have 22 people here for dinner. It's truely an amazing site!!

It is not really a "holiday" to us without at least 20 people in the house eating and laughing.

Easter blessing to you all!!

XOXO
Bug

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Bug- I was born in Lancaster PA, my family has been in that area since ~ 1750's....which County are you in?

Berks County ~ born and raised in Blandon. That's about as Pa Dutch as you can get!!!

XOXO
Bug

Linne we heard it snowed in Perugia yesterday - which is south of us quite a bit. We have actually had snow in the forecast here several times the last two weeks but it hasn't happened.

Anthony wrote:Linne we heard it snowed in Perugia yesterday - which is south of us quite a bit. We have actually had snow in the forecast here several times the last two weeks but it hasn't happened.

It seems like Europe got the winter in late March. We haven't had this cold since November, when we had two weeks cold weather. I want the spring back! Actually the weather at the moment are more like April, snowing like crazy one minute and change to sunshine the next.

I know where Perugia is, as we have spent 3 * 1 week in Tuscany and surroundings. We didn't go all the way to Perugia, but to Lago Trassimeno och Cortona.

Is it unusual with snow in your area?

Hi again!

Interesting to hear how you celebrate Easter, thank you. I can see that some of you have more traditions than we have in Denmark too example to be nice dressed. Bug, I really understand that it cannot be a vacation for you! How many days are Easter in USA, do you work or not work on Thursday? We don’t work Thursday, and it’s common that people try to have free from work the three days before Easter, which give a long vacation.

As I told we were visiting some friends yesterday. We stayed in their summerhouse near the water
and had a great lunch with about 10 different fish dishes, smoked fish, marinated fish etc..Later om we got cold lamb, mock-turtle with eggs and then cheese And of course we had different Easter beer and different sort of snaps as homemade snaps with spices too example one with yellow bedstraw and one with yarrow. My girlfriend is a fantasic cook, so we really enjoyed it.

Here some pictures (Easter in Danish is PÅSKE):


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PAs ... 3730"><img src="http://lh6.google.dk/benthe44/R-YwN8HY3 ... G.jpg"></a>


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PAs ... 9570"><img src="http://lh4.google.dk/benthe44/R-YwlcHY3 ... G.jpg"></a>


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PAs ... 5746"><img src="http://lh3.google.dk/benthe44/R-Y48MHY3 ... G.jpg"></a>


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/benthe44/PAs ... 3314"><img src="http://lh3.google.dk/benthe44/R-YwwMHY3 ... G.jpg"></a>

About the weather:
As Maggy says the weather has been strange in Europe, and I don’t think it’s normal with snow in Italy in March – if it’s not in mountains - but I don’t know.


Linne

Linne,
I too enjoy hearing about your traditions. I grew up with traditions like Bug also, except the food was usually like Thanksgiving with a turkey and ham.
We dressed up and went to church, the Easter Bunny came and we had egg hunts. My kids still get Easter baskets and enjoy dying eggs even at the ages of 17 and 12.

My sister sent me this picture from Easter 1969. I am the one holding the baby (my sister) and the other little girl is my other sister. My 2 cousins are the other 2. I was 9. This picture cracked me up with the styles.
Now, not many dress up and we will see jeans in church today I am sure.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sea-nile/2353720259/" title="easter69 by jtmmrut, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2379/235 ... 77ca_o.jpg" width="379" height="380" alt="easter69"></a>

Linne, that looks like a nice day! A question, what are snaps?

mbw1024 wrote:Linne, that looks like a nice day! A question, what are snaps?

I'm thinking they mean Schnaps.

We are having family over and serving Ham for my Ukranian, polish folk and Lasagna for the rest.

sea-nile wrote:Linne,
Now, not many dress up and we will see jeans in church today I am sure.

You are channeling my mother! Sometime today during dinner she will comment on how " i can't believe people wear jeans to church on Easter Sunday"