Easter

I was under the impression that Easter happened quite late this year, since I distinctly remember how cold it used to be when, as children, we used to traverse the neighbourhood asking for eggs and treats. I was, therefore, surprised to learn that April 4^th is the earliest date Easter has been celebrated since 2018, and that Easter fell on a March date only five times in the last twenty years. I suppose time feels very drawn out during global pandemics.

The last time I was at home for Easter must have been four or five years ago, and I have sorely missed the tradition of egg decorating ever since. I decided that this time was going to be worth it.

My dad bought a batch of twenty gleaming white eggs, which I scrubbed down using vinegar and (after the vinegar technique turned out to be taking forever) scouring powder. Second, I drilled a hole at the top of each egg using a needle. It was a little difficult at first, but I found that when you simply apply enough pressure to one point, the needle eventually penetrates without cracking the egg. The hole is easily expanded afterwards by chipping away the edges.

I lost two eggs because I did not devote enough attention to phase three, which is to use a longer needle or another thin implement to break the yolk and stir the insides of the egg. In phase four, the insides of the egg are blown (not sucked) out. We used some needles left over from our first dog, who had diabetes. Holding the egg upright with the hole facing downward, one pumps air in through the hole until the insides have completely trickled out.

One cannot forget phase five, which is to clean the eggs from the inside using soap water in a syringe, as well as a good deal of shaking. Only once the eggs have completely dried out – they are usually left to dry for at least one night – comes the time to paint them.

In my family, we paint eggs with wax. We use a needle stuck into the back of a pencil and dip the very tip into wax, after which we quickly apply the wax to the surface of the egg. Once the design is complete, we put the egg in a container with dye or food colouring. Since I have had negative experiences with this last part in the past, I put three different dyes in one container to make sure the resultant liquid was concentrated enough.

A discussion ensued between me and my mum, who was convinced there was a better way to keep an egg from bobbing up in the dye than to hold it down with a spoon. I seem to remember that this is the way we have always done it, and I could not think of any better strategy (save, I suppose, for techniques far exceeding the equipment and willpower available to me at the time). The entire process was so exhausting that we saved many of the empty eggs for next year.

In the meantime, spring has finally entered full swing with the blossoming of forsythias, magnolias, tulips, hyacinths, and cherry blossoms. Cowslips have begun to grow in the forest and are outlasting liverworts.