How to start this post entertainingly (is that a word?) Hmm well, my host family took advantage of their time off and went to Canada to visit thier daughter who is an exchange student there. So I lived with my Rotary contact person and his family in Knivsta (20 minutes south of Uppsala).
The first couple days I went down to Stockholm to visit some other exchange students and enjoy the beautiful weather!
The Easter festivities began on Thursday.
Ok wait let me start by saying the family I was staying with have a 5 year old boy (Vidar) and a 9 year old girl (Ellinore) so I was able to tag along and see what happens during Easter from the view of children.
On Thursday, as I was saying, we went for an Easter orientering walk dressed as witches (at least the children were dressed so).
According to the Swedish tradtition the witches steal brooms from the homes and fly to Blåkulla or "Blue Mountain" where the demon lives. So it came to be that the children traditionally paint their cheeks red, have freckles and head scarves.
At the end of the walk all the children recieve an påsk ägg (Easter Egg) with candy inside! I forgot to get a picture of the eggs, but this is kind of what they look like. I will talk more about them a little later :-)
After the witches walk (teehee), I don't actually know what they called that, but ya after that the children drew pictures and made Easter cards. Then, dressed as witches, they went essentially trick-or-treating But they had to give the family that they went to one of the cards they had drawn. So the more cards they made the more houses they could go to and the more candy they would get!
Friday was just a relax and get-ready-for-tomorrow type of day because in Sweden Easter is celebrated on Saturday, Påskafton.
Ellinore and I made meringues...
Then Vidar joined us and we made little figures out of marzipan (sugar, honey, and almond flazor). It is very Swedish and not many people from the USA like it. I personally think it is ok if you take a pea sized bit, but anything bigger is too sweat.
It's still really fun to play with!!
Lousie was an exchange student to California when she was my age!
And then it was Saturday! I was waken a bit too early if you ask me, by the sound of pitter pattering feet all around the house and two youngins' yelling with excitement.
We each had one påsk egg hidden somewhere in the house that we needed to go find. Mine looked a little bit like this one.
We then painted eggs and cooked and got ready for the guests to come.
Ellinore's eggs
Vidar's eggs
and my eggs
Don't worry mom and dad, I did not take any shots, I just think this glass is wonderful!
We had about 25 guests come over, and to be honest I think I remember maybe 5 names... And don't you dare ask me how they know eachother 'cuz that it an even bigger mystery!
Even the adults and big kids got the color an egg!
The appitizers were three different types of herring- rum, basil, and not sure what the top right one was, but it was good! With potatoes, hard bread, and meatballs for the kids.
There was a lot of sining, drinking of snaps (shots), laughing, and what not.
The main meal consisted of a green salad, lamn, salmon if you didn't like lamn, two different types of potatoes and a sauce to top it all off!
And then, as if that wasn't enough food already we had dessert: Chocolate cake, Swedish brownie type thing, Easter candy, the meringues and of course coffee or tea.
Then there were speaches, stories, and more singing!
A bit of guitar playing as well
Another Swedish Easter tradition is to put feathers in trees or bushes outside as decorations.
Sunday morning we went to the Easter church service where Ellinore sang!
The rest of the day there was not much celebration of Easter seeing as that was mostly yesterday but we decided to take advantage of the beautiful, T-shirt, weather and went to Sigtuna. We walked along a lake and had lunch and an ice cream out in the sun!
And now it is back to school, homework, and a lack of sleep! Yay!
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