Other than decorating Willow branches (vitsat), activities at Easter time in Finland, include painting or decorating with paper, empty chicken egg shells (Pääsiäismunat) etc.
Tiimari is the favourite arts and crafts store here in Finland and the images shown of eggs are from their website. Often the eggs have been decorated by cutting up the very fancy paper serviettes we have here and glueing them on. Lovely!
You can view the Tiimari Easter brochure here. It's interactive, so you can turn the pages! http://www.tiimari.fi/stc/lehti/paasiainen2010/
Children also like making easter figures of a rabbit (Pääsiäispupu) and chicks (Pääsiäistipu).. and believe it or not..they love growing grass!
Well, at this time of the year, especially up here in the Arctic, there is not much grass around.. only snow.. so growing your own, on the kitchen window sill, is the perfect opportunity to remind us of fresh growth. Special packets of grass are sold in most shops. When my Mum went back home after her recent holiday, I sent a packet back with her for my youngest niece to try. I bet they found it rather odd, especially as there is lots of grass everywhere in the U.K.
With the internet at the end of pretty much everyones fingers, this generation of young children can also play online Easter games, like this one.. where they can decorate a chick by deciding on the colour palette!
http://www.perhekerho.net/lapsille/moonan_varityskirja_paasiainen.htm
Click the link below to reach a larger version of this Easter image.. to print out and colour the old fashioned way! :D
http://www.perhekerho.net/askartelu/k_pa/p_paasiainen_11.htm
Of course, Easter is not just for the children... creative adults will buy or make a wicker wreath and decorate it for their front door. They will decorate their homes with lots of fresh or even fake flowers, eggs etc.. its a favourite time of year for many. Here are a few examples, that I have found on the web.
I made one myself this year..filled with lots of beautiful pastel coloured feathers! I love it! It's on my front door! :D
I hope that these Finnish Easter ideas, might spawn some creativity in your house for what is left of this - or for the coming Eastertides....
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