Most days had at least a little bit of snow cover, and fresh snow fell on us at least once a week. The world started to feel dark and heavy as collective Seasonal Affective Disorder set in.
Liturgically speaking, Lent could not come at a more perfect time. It is as the darkness of winter finally squeezes our optimism and melancholy rises to the front of our brains that we experience a little bit of humanity's dark wait for rebirth and Christ's coming. But what I love about Lent is that rather than forcing our hibernating souls to be unnaturally cheerful, Christianity encourages us to utilize the winter doldrums as a time to delve deep in to the dark corners of our souls, to the places we feel least comfortable. For it is when we examine those dark corners with their skeletons and monsters that we can reach a recognition of how in need we are of help. And just as we are in the darkest moment, of feeling like the snow will never melt, we'll never see the sun again, and we'll never be free of all these demons that haunt our pasts, Easter and spring come.
Warmth, sun, leaves growing on trees, a renewed sense of hope and optimism...Easter could not be more perfectly timed! For while we were still sinners (before the spring!) Christ died for us, and gave us another chance to start over and live without the burden of sin weighing us down. Spring and rebirth indeed!Last year, when my other American friends moved, they bequeathed me an Easter egg decorating kit, which has been lying forgotten in a corner of my kitchen for a good nine months. But last night we finally broke it out and I had the privilege of introducing my Turkish, Cuban, and Spanish friends to a new tradition- decorating Easter eggs!
Yes, I naively believed that Easter eggs were common throughout the Christian world, but the tradition seems to have skipped the Spanish-speaking areas of Christendom. When I invited a Turkish friend over to dye eggs, my Spanish and Cuban flatmates seemed just as fascinated by the idea as my Turkish friends.
I make no claims as to my artistic ability. There is, after all, a reason I leaned toward music rather than art in my studies. But my Cuban and Turkish friends took to the decorating immediately, and we spent close to three hours working on our eggs, with a good time had all around.
Yes indeed. Never underestimate how much fun a simple thing can be. These traditions are far from universal, and for those of us who have grown up with the same tradition, it's easy to forget how enjoyable or eye-opening it can be for someone who's never heard the story or painted the eggs before.
Happy Easter, everyone! And happy spring!
