New Easter Traditions

So, this year I decided that it was time to add some spiritually meaningful traditions to our Easter celebration. I always feel a little frustrated that Christmas and Easter seem to get easily overrun by commercial and "pagan" (read with humor, please) traditions, fun as they may be. We did different activities each day from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday as I tried to really have the kids focus on Christ. One of their favorite activites was taking turns being Jesus and riding on Ryan's back (the donkey) while we waved green papers (palms) and shouted "Hosanna!". They made Ryan do it so many times that his knees started to hurt. They also liked our "Passover" meal. I tried to make simple foods that would have been around in old Jerusalem. It may not have been authentic, but the boys got into it, especially our goblets (otherwise known as ice cream dishes). All in all, I'm not sure who loved this week more, me or the kids. By the end of the week, Dezi could tell me the whole story of Jesus' adult life...the parables he taught, the healing he did, the triumphant arrival, the cleansing of the temple, the last supper and washing of the apostles' feet, the betrayal by Judas, the atonement in Gethsemane, Pilate, the crucifiction, the resurrection, and the visit to the Americas. I was impressed by his ability to recount all those stories and help 'teach' Caetano. Can't wait until next year.