Firstly, it is spring break for our district , secondly, it is also Orthodox Easter coming up this sunday therefore making this week Holy Week . Add to this we hit 83F in Chicago yesterday ( this is not a typo !) ......... and it was also April Fools Day ..... aahhh mother nature how you tease us !!!!! . Before I forget it is also Passover ... which for reason I cannot explain at this point in time is always around Orthodox Easter.
Easter is filled with many traditions , for the devout it is the highest point in the religious calendar . Far outstripping Christmas as a religious event , not completely lost in the mire if present shopping and decorations for house and anything that breathes , Easter is for many a time of reflection and introspection.
Another time I will sit down and explain to one and all what Orthodox Christians do in preparation for Easter Sunday , for the sake of this post I would like to share and show off the fruits of the labours of my girls in preparing the eggs.
As I mentioned , 83F in chicago yesterday - however in true tradition we had a small window of opportunity to prepare the eggs ( which signify "new life") , they can only be done on Easter Thursday or Easter Saturday . So , to the store we went and purchased 3 dozen Amish free range eggs , came home and boiled them . Allowed them to cool , then gave free range to my little gourmets and their friend Caroline , to decorate the eggs.
The idea was given to me by my sister in Greece, who has started this tradition with her son and a few of his friends . It is fun , artistic and a great tradition to uphold.
For the purists of egg dyeing - please look the other way , for mothers looking for a way to get their children involoved in a great tradition , please read on .
Boil as many eggs as you will need . Remove from water and allow to cool .
Meanwhile , prepare the red food dye in COLD format - this is only available form the international supermakets.
Assemble the following wax crayon colours - white, dark blue, lime green and a regular green colour and a nice golden yellow colour.
Now the fun begins , let the children draw different designs on the eggs , then place them carefully in the cold red dye and gently swirl around . Allow to sit for 20 minutes. Remove from the dye with a mesh spatula and place back in the egg carton to dry off completely.
If you wish, once they have dried completely you can gently rub then with a soft cloth and some olive oil - I personally think they look just fine as is .
I hope this has inspired you to begin a fun tradition , to the purists, the eggs still taste the same - but we have involved children in a tradition which has a lot of meaning .
Happy Easter ..... Kalo Pasha .........
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