Tomorrow it's time for children to get out with their decorated willow branches and bring good wishes for the coming year to neighbours and relatives or just anyone that happens to open the door for them. Children get chocolate eggs, money or some other little reward from the person they give the branch with a special fortune rhyme. So the more you have branches the richer you'll become.Here you can see the branches our girls decorated. I guess they will get more than enough chocolate tomorrow!
When I was a child we used to take the branches to the orthodox church for blessing the day before so that the branches would give God's blessings for the person who gets to be tapped with it. I like that idea a lot. It is time to remember our Savior at this time of the year!
VIRVON VARVON TUOREEKS TERVEEKS
TULEVAKS VUUVEKS
VITSA SULLE, PALKKA MULLE
JUMALA SINUA SIUNATKOON!
3 comments:
:o)
anything that points a wandering soul to the saving grace of God is definitely a good idea!
in Canada, Easter has become all about bunnies & eggs and costumes ... very little spiritual in the mainstream and definitely NONE in the schools ... sad, eh.
good idea Maiju!
I red somewhere, that we use willow branches in Finland simply just because we don't have any palmtrees around here. People threw palmtree branches before Jesus in palmsunday.
But i guess nobody really knows too much of the spiritual meanings of easter traditions in Finland either.
In "theological" way easter should be our biggest festival.
In the orthodox church of Finland it is the biggest festival
- but generally people celebrate christmas more.
Actually i heard somewhere that even the easterbunny has some spiritual meaning originally. But i forgot it allready- maybe somebody knows?
Easter really should be our biggest celebration! Without the resurection of Jesus we would still be offering animals in order to get rid of the our sins...
I really love those midnight services orthodox churches have in the easter night. In one point the congregation goes around the church with candles singing that: Christ has risen! After the service everyone go and have a huge celebration meal in the middle of the night.
Let's enjoy our Easter time with all the bunnies and willow branches etc. and keeping the meaning of the easter in our minds!
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