Orthodox Easter

    Easter is all about light, and cleanness, and pure happiness. While I was in Romania it was by far my most favorite holiday. When I can remember that feeling of having my heart light and pure, it is still my favorite holiday. It is becoming harder and harder to feel like this here in US. Orthodox Easter (my Easter) is celebrated usually few weeks after the Catholic Easter. By the time we are ready to celebrate everybody is bored of good food, all Easter stuff is on sale. Sometimes it feels like an used piece of clothing. The best got sucked out of it, and all we are left with is a hand me down holiday.

    Spring was just around the corner, and that helped to put us in the mood.

This year, like last year (and hopefully many years to come) we had bunica and bunicul with us for Easter. Catalina was delighted. I was delighted. We had many house projects that needed to be finished and we were waiting for help. They arrived the day before Palm Sunday, so we were able to go together to church. Catalina was delighted and proud to have her grandma with her. She looked beautiful and filled my heart with pride once more. Since many of the kids in daycare talk about Easter baskets and egg hunting, we usually adopt the american traditions for Palm Sunday, so we can keep our Easter traditions clean and spiritual, less about presents and bunnies.

My sunshine

At home, Marius got Catalina some kinder eggs and a VERY big chocolate egg. We hid them around our house and asked Catalina to look for dinosaur eggs. She was SOOOO excited to find them!

Dinosaur's eggs!!!

 Next week was reserved for cleaning and the many home improvement ideas we had. Catalina helped with painting, with scrubbing, pretty much anywhere she was needed :)

On Friday, the true Easter preparations began. Lots and lots of good fun. The egg coloring was a true success, for the first time in US we had red and not pale pink eggs (compliments of egg coloring we bought in Switzerland...)

Saturday we had the bulk of cooking, some leftover cleaning and some rest time. Mommy had some work to do, so she took Catalina with her at work. Between incubation times we enjoyed the beautiful day, the flowers that were just blooming.

a little chilly :)

At midnight we went to church for the beautiful service. Catalina fell asleep in my arms, and walking with her warm arms around my neck, and singing the resurrection song I felt my heart a little lighter, a little happier. We went back home, Catalina woke up happily and we enjoyed some of the food we cooked.

Hristos a inviat!

Easter Day was relaxing, with family and some friends. In the afternoon we picked some flowers and enjoyed the sun. It was just the way it's supposed to be: clean, uncomplicated happiness. The kind that you remember not as a fact, but as a feeling. Like love.