un-orthodox easter and why I think people paint crucifixions (part 1)

I love Easter so much...

I love all the traditions that have been attached to it over the years for me (spending about 2/3rds of the day in church, family dinners, Easter clothes).

I love that it's been on my birthday sometimes.

I love the special events I've had attached to it: I was baptized on an Easter Sunday, we were engaged on an Easter weekend, I remember sitting on wooden benches and a dirt floor the first Easter Sunday we used our partially constructed church when I was a kid.

And I REALLY love what it's all about! Christ rising, conquering death, bringing life and hope...the triumph and celebration of it all pretty much consumes me.

So this year was a bit weird for me. We weren't in church on Easter Sunday morning.

We had a 4-day weekend break from language school, and combined with a variety of factors, it provided a good opportunity to take a break for the weekend and travel someplace just to travel (something we haven't done in about 4 years). We headed to Paris. It sounds like a huge destination, but it's really accessible from here. (a couple hours by train, and inexpensive tickets aren't too hard to find)


My first thought for Easter Sunday had been how fascinating it would be to be in Notre Dame on Easter Sunday - but then I read someone else's experience of the CRAZY crowds. We did, however, stop by on Good Friday to catch part of "Organ Auditions". I was thinking it would be like a free concert as the organist prepared for Sunday or something, and anticipated this amazing sound inside this beautiful old space. Not exactly.

We came early, sat down and watched these families all dressed up for a service seated around us, and then noticed a huge procession of people coming as a bell was ringing. The veneration of the crown of thorns. I had noticed something on-line about it, but hadn't imagined a processional. Since the 1200's, this particular relic has resided in Paris and is brought out during Lent and Easter to be venerated by the public. People bowed as it came past. I don't think I've been quite so close to an experience anything like it before.


It stirred lots of thoughts in by brain - thoughts about how easily we worship "the created rather than the Creator", but in the same breath, the Holiness of God and how we physically demonstrate reverence and humility before Him - like Moses having to take his shoes off before the burning bush, or people dying when they touched the Ark of the Covenant. Hmm. That could turn into quite a discussion, but I'll leave it alone at the moment. I will just say this: there's some healthy awareness and reflection that can come from observing people worship in varying traditions.


The organ started to play after the procession. In all honesty, terrifying horrible sounds. Even with the less discordant notes, the organ sounded muffled, and disappointed our hopes of this full, resonant sound. The organist played a few notes; the priest read something in French; the organist played more; the priest read more. Not exactly a concert. I'm guessing it was about Good Friday and Christ's death. More accurately, I'm hoping it was as an explanation for the kinds of sounds coming from the organ. I felt like I suddenly understood things I've read where people describe their really morbid and scary associations with organs. We didn't stay very long.

Before we left altogether, we walked back around past the various places designated for prayer. This nun caught our eye. She seemed to tune all the crowds out, sit for awhile to pray, then exit just as quietly and directly. I just wanted to know her stories.

bunnies

When the first snow fell in November, I discovered that some of my language school classmates were seeing snow for the very first time in their lives. I don't remember what prompted it, but I suggested making paper snowflakes. A couple of them got pretty excited about it, and my teacher gave me a bit of time a few days later to show everybody how to cut snowflakes. My teacher got really excited, asking me to get green and red paper so we could make more for Christmas decorations. I don't generally make red and green snowflakes.... but why not! I've discovered that my classmates from Russia (including my teacher) really like decorations to have some glitz and flash to them. White is simply too plain and not festive enough.

Snowflake cutting session two with red and green was again quite a hit while being a bit comical. Picture a room full of adults with inadequate vocabulary to explain or ask questions, sharing a few pairs of scissors, and fumbling through a new (and for many, rather awkward) activity. We immediately hung them all over the room. Culturally they had no qualms in quickly evaluating the quality of everyone's work out loud.

Fast forward to last week. Somehow the snowflake cutting got linked to origami because a classmate brought a book of origami in to show me afterward. There are distinct themes to the state approved language text books; holidays is one of them. Now on our fourth textbook with the same series of themes, we're all a little less interested in talking about holidays - again. However, my teacher has decided that we need to decorate for Easter and asked me to find some Easter origami patterns we can use.

Easter origami. I chuckle a little bit inside thinking about melding this classic Japanese paper art with a distinctly Christian holiday. However, you can find anything online, right? I've noticed that bunnies and eggs are the primary Easter decor theme in Germany, so I looked up patterns. Bunnies were easy to find. I didn't find origami eggs. Can't say that I'm surprised by that one. Really, who wants to fold a piece of paper into a flat egg shape? Wouldn't it be easier to cut it out? I found this pattern, and brought it along with origami paper to class. After trying it out at home, I knew that as origami goes it's pretty simple, but would take some explaining.

Oh the excitement! My class is down to about 8 people. It's just great to give highly capable intelligent adults something like an origami pattern to contend with - totally outside their element! Origami is tricky to explain verbally in your own language let alone in one you're still learning, so I was quite out of my element as well. It pretty much came down to me running in circles individually showing each step to every person or pair of people. The initial excitement and eagerness by all (particularly endearing to hear these men excited to make a bunny to give to their daughters) shifted a bit to comments about how much patience origami requires. Nevertheless, we all had a good time and enjoyment prevailed.

I wonder how often any of them get to sit down and have the pleasure of making something. I could ramble quite awhile about how we need that pleasure, how it gives us a chance to be who we're designed to be - reflectors of our Maker.

We're supposed to make tulips sometime this week... I heard several ask with hope in their voices, "is the tulip easier?"

BTW if you're interested, here are some of the ideas I found (remember I was thinking quick and easy for my class):






origami tulip diagram

spring!

While we know that most of our friends and family have been suffering through prolonged winter weather the past month or so, it has been simply beautiful here. Evening walks in this little village are awfully picturesque.

And then sometimes it's just plain quirky. For example the side of this house....

Have you figured it out yet? Snails. Stone snails making a line across the house. Lots of things are named after snails around here - like restaurants. Hmm. Not sure about that one.

It's also traditional to decorate your trees for Easter like this:


There are so many song birds! I'm not sure if it's just quiet enough here to hear the birds or if there truly are more song birds in this region, but either way, its pretty incredible. One night we walked past this really plain looking black bird with an orange beak. And then it started to sing - beautiful! They make the most amazing sounds!

Fruit tree blossoms are everywhere. I think this one is a cherry tree. When we ride the bus everyday, we pass fields with woods in the background. All the grass is bright green with fresh green foliage on most of the trees. The cherry trees covered in white blossoms stand alone in the midst of all that green.


Just off our balcony is a Magnolia tree. It's huge though not particularly well shaped. Nevertheless, we watched it bud anticipating how grand it would be when it flowered. We were not disappointed.




The sheer volume of blooms has been quite a spectacle while they've lasted.

And to top off all this spring glory? Allergies. I'm sparing you the sight of my half swollen shut eye and rashy face. That one's not so pretty.