Barneblad: Påske plans and DIY daffodils
A monthly feature to share with kids and grandkids
Photo: Shelia Brown / Public Domain Pictures
If Mother Nature cooperates, your kids can go out and pick daffodils to get inspired.
Brought to you by Lori Ann Reinhall
Easter is on its way, and it’s a time of great anticipation, especially for Norwegian Americans, young and old alike.
In Norway, the word for Easter is påske (pronounced “PO-skuh”), and it is considered to be one of the most important holidays of the year, so important that Norwegians take two weeks to celebrate it. There are family gatherings, the church holidays, and then, of course, trips to the mountains for some of the last glorious days of skiing of the year.
All of this doesn’t happen without some good planning and preparation. This starts already during the season of Lent, the weeks leading up to Easter. Lent was traditionally was a period of fasting, a time to give up something, as we think about all the goodness in life we have.
Today, the Easter season may be celebrated in many new and different ways, but påske plans still need to be put in place, so here are a few ideas to help you get ready with your family.
Easter is a time of great joy. It is a time of year when the sun’s bright light returns to the earth. Yellow is the color symbolic of this happiness: it is the color of the sun, the color of the cute little Easter chicks, and the color of the beautiful daffodils that bloom this time of year.
Most appropriately, the Norwegian word for daffodil is påskelilje, literally translated as “Easter lily.” In many places, they bloom right at Eastertime in April, in some places earlier, and in others later.
Of course, most of us want to decorate our house with fresh daffodils, and nothing could be more fun than picking them yourself. But if this isn’t possible, depending on where you live and what’s planted in your garden, here is a fun project that you can get started on during the weeks leading up to Easter.
Photo: John Erik Twedt & Max Stevenson
DIY daffodils require few supplies, are easy to make, and can be enjoyed by everyone.
Photo: John Erik Twedt & Max Stevenson
Photo: John Erik Twedt & Max Stevenson
This article originally appeared in the March 20, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American.
