The Easter Hare is Here!!

Finally, we have a festive/seasonal setting for our table!  This was a goal I made in my first blog post at the beginning of the year.

Here he is... the Easter Hare!  Complete with eggs and a grassy patch.

I wanted this to double as story props for K and I to play out this part of Easter.  This morning she put her toys to sleep in her home made hut, while she and the Easter Hare hid the eggs for them to find.  Very special to watch as she tried to ram the hare, grassy patch, toys and eggs in her basket for Easter!

I have been reading a enlightening book about rhythms, seasons and festivals from our Steiner Playgroup library.  It is chocca full of history about celebrations and festivals, seasons, recipes, poems, stories and crafts.  Our Easter Hare has been knitted, while the eggs were crocheted using Kate's pattern from Greedy for Colour.   Thanks Kate!  I  became a little braver again this time round with my crochet and tried to modify patterns to make a smaller egg and the grassy patch.

Easter Hare ... not Easter Bunny?  Well apparently the hare was the original creature to be given the  responsibility to deliver the hope of new life (represented by the egg).  The Hare possessed qualities such as speed, agility, is transient, is bold and courageous in his upright stance. His long ears suggest a wide and intelligent interest in the world and in folklore he is invested with the virtue of self-sacrifice.  I guess you need those strong qualities to deliver the sign of new life and so I would like to try and recognise that by celebrating the Easter Hare with our family. It has already been hard though because the bunny is so widely accepted as the creature with which we celebrate Easter.  Not to worry, it is the qualities and virtues of the symbol that I am most excited about.

I am really looking forward to Easter with our family this year.  I will post some of more of our traditions before then.  Hope you are enjoying the build up to a lovely family holiday too x