Friday, March 29, 2013

Lieldienas, Easter, Paques (or a Frenmericvian Easter)

See English translation below.....

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Novēlu visiem skaistas Lieldienas!


Lai jums būtu veiksme olu sišanās, augsta šūpošanās un varena Lieldienu maltīte ar jūsu ģimeni!


Mums olas ir nokrāsotas un rupmaize izcepta, visas sastāvdaļas paskai nopirktas. Ir atvieglinoši būt atpakaļ ASV kur visas lietas rit vieglāk, bet tomēr pietrūkst Francija. Atceros, ka pagāšgad satikamies pilns dzīvoklis mēs mammas ar bērniem krāsot olas. Māciju kā sīpolu mizās tās vārīt un kuŗas lapiņas un zālīte rod interesantus musturus. Un nemaz nerunāsim par iepriekšējo gadu, kad Lieldienas svinējām Gorges du Tarn ar Matīsu un Indru! Un franču ticējums ir, ka zvans atved Lieldienu olas (nevis kāds zaķis!) un tamdēļ arī veikali pilni ar šokolādes un marcipāna zvaniem. Baznīcu zvani pāris dienas pirms Lieldienām klusē un itkā par šīm dienām ir aizgājuši uz Romu, no kurienes atgriežāš ar krāsotām olām un šokolādēm. Senās dienās tanī brīdī Lieldienu dienā kad visi zvani skanēja, tad tikai drīkstēja visi bērni skriet laukā olas meklēt. (Vai nav piemēroti, ka mani Čikāgas radi svinēs Zvanu ielā Lieldienas?)




Šādos brīžos jāatcerās, ka Francijā nepaspējām atrast šūpoles kur izšūpoties. Varbūt tamdēļ arī visu vasaru koda odi? Un notiekti nevarējām sanākt četras paaudzes ģimene kopā nosvinēt svētkus. Atradīsim mūsu zvaniņus kuŗus paskandināt Lieldienu dienā, izcepsim kādu burkānkūku, sitīsim sīpolu mizās krāsotās olas un kārtīgi nosvinēsim latviskas/franciskas/amerikāņu Lieldienas!

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Wishing everybody a happy Easter!



We've colored our eggs, baked a batch of rye bread and bought all the ingredients for making paska. It's a bit of a relief to be back in the US for this holiday, as keeping with the various traditions has gone more smoothly, however I miss France. A friend reminded me how this time last year our apartment was full, as I taught everyone how to color Easter eggs the Latvian way, with onion skins. Even the year before that, when we celebrated Easter with Indra and Matīss in the Gorges du Tarn, what a memorable holiday that was! I miss the bells too; the French tradition has it that a bell delivers the Easter eggs, and only when all the church bells ring can the children run outside to search for the eggs les cloches de Pâques have brought from Rome. All the patisseries and groceries will be full of marzipan and chocolates in the shape of bells...




It's moments like this that I need to remember that it wasn't all bells and chocolate in France, as we definitely were not able to celebrate Easter with four generations of family. Some of the other Latvian traditions went by the wayside as well, such as swinging on Easter morning to keep the mosquitos at bay during the following year, since we never did find any swings.

So I'm off to search for some bells to ring on Easter morning before the egg hunt, and to double check I have everything to bake a carrotcake, because this year with our onion skin colored eggs and our Peeps we will properly celebrate a Latvian/French/American Easter!

6 comments:

  1. Lai Jums ģimeniskas un raibas Lieldienas!:)

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  2. I'm always going through that weird balance, too, of the grass is always greener syndrome about France. For me, it always pops up when I think about how we accommodated a holiday and how fun it was to celebrate in France. Then I think about how much I missed home and family and our traditions at the same time.

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    1. It's tough, and even tougher to stay in the now. Realize our time in France was a blessing, and that I really have to make the most of every moment even if it is back in the US. If you figure it out, let me know :)

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  3. Easter is a lovely time. Always a chance to look upon our blessings! Thanks for the #AllAboutFrance post!

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  4. What a wonderful multicultural mishmash! I lived in Prague as a child and found that of all the 9 countries I've lived in, their traditions at Easter have stuck with me the most, so much so that I've even incorporated them into our French/English/Australian family celebrations. Thank you for sharing this with us at #AllAboutFrance

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