i just wonder... my granny does all this easter stuff...eggs and pastry...all that a person is supposed to do on easter in russia and she even wants me to help her to paint eggs while i have a lot of work at the university but the matter is she doesnt believe in god at all!!! not in god...or devil...she has no beliefs at all when i asked her why on hell she does all this stuff, she just said: "it's a tradition" dont ya think it's ridiculous???? i';ve been alw wondering about how people keep on doing useless thins just because it's a TRADITION or "everyone does so"...
Ah well, some people just like traditions, especially old people. When I see how much joy they get out of it I can understand really. Maybe it takes people back to good memories of the traditions in their youth. Sometimes I have the same thoughts as you though, about traditions and cultural habits that seem quite useless. However I do like to see other people enjoy honouring our old traditions, and enjoy the atmosphere of traditional celebrations and stuff I'm not really practising a lot of traditions myself. But as a kid I did. Nowadays I don't feel like painting eggs neither
I really agree. Traditions are useless unless you enjoy them. So let your grandma paint her eggs but don't force yourself to do so, especially if you have other things to do.
There may (probably will) come a time when you would give anything, ANYTHING, to spend just one more hour with your Grandmother. But it won't be possible. She seems like she believes in tradition and in sharing those traditions with you. Maybe you should ask her how she learned the traditions. Be happy that she wants to spend time with you, do things with you, share with you... not everyone has that in their lives. And it is a direct link to your roots. Absoulutly right. And now is the only chance you'll have to build those future memories for yourself, instead of future regrets due to missed opertunities. And who knows, maybe some day you'll want to share traditions with your own children or grandchildren. To do that, you need to learn them now. I always encourage people to learn their family traditions and old family stories, and then pass them on. Because if you don't... they die. But that's all just this sentimental old hippie's opinion. Peace, poor_old_dad
I think that this is anything but rediculous. Cultural traditions, no matter if religious or not, are beautiful. I'm Jewish, I don't believe in God, and don't practice Judaism... but I still go to the Passover seder, I still play with the kids on Hannukah, and I still eat gefiltefish on Rosh Ha Shanah... it took me a while to mature and learn this, but tradition is beautiful. For the kids it inspires imagination, and for adults... it's something to keep on passing through the years. You cannot escape your roots. So many people have died just to keep this going, no matter how silly it is, the least thing I can do is to keep these traditions... at least in the memory of all the people who risked their lives for me to able to keep them.
She may spend plenty of time with her grandmother. You could spend every waking moment with someone you love and when they are gone you may still wish you had one more hour with them.
I don't want to get into a religious debate, but I think easter stared off as a pegan holiday. So it wouldn't matter if she believes in god and jesus or not.
My mom's catholic. >_< good friday(no meat), sainting baskets, smingus dingus (my mom threw water at me and my bro while we were sleeping-polish water fight), and then dinner on sunday... I wouldn't mind all these traditions if my mom didn't go crazy yelling and cursing about everything needing to be perfect...long grocery lines in small packed tight delis, and of course my mom being extra critical about everything we wear and do.. (don't play happy music, jesus died today!) ..... this is the one holiday weekend I dread every year.... I'll prob carry on the tradition because I've done it for so long...lol
i'm afraid spending more time with my granny would do me harm i hate saying that but she's the most negative person i've ever known there was time when i was afraid her negativity and hatred towards everything would turn me into a similar person... so ya see... i dont hate her but i cant love her as for traditions, i dont accuse or scorn people who stick to them if they believe....but people who do them only because "everyone is used to" without even understanding what they mean....they keep amazing me she painted the eggs herself...23 eggs for two of us (i dislike eggs and seldom eat them). So i just wonder if she has painted so many eggs just to compete with her neighbours
I was talking with my girlfriend (who is Polish) last night (maybe it was the night before) about different Polish Easter customs and foods (yummy!). They have a lot of symbolism connected with the Resurrection and its fruits, etc., that I think are really nice-especially compared to American Easter customs (Easter bunnies, Easter baskets filled with cheap, gaudy, disposable junk, chocolate eggs,etc...). Not only do the American customs have no religious significance, they're just plain ugly, and are all store bought and totally devoid of any symbolism connected with Easter. I like the European customs, because they are homemade (brightly painted eggs, homemade bread, cheescakes, lambs sculptured from butter, etc.) and they have a symbolism directly connected with the feast that is being celebrated (although I agree that people should understand what that symbolism is, and why they're doing these things). It's interesting that Orthodox Easter coincides with Western Easter this year. So... Christos Anesti! Aleithos Anesti! Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Yeah, to Polish people its the most important time of the year. It's the death and rising of jesus...americans just color eggs and have egg hunts-how does that celebrate him? Polacks even starve themselves the day he dies, and go to church and buy palms, and some wont eat until saturday-after the basket is sainted... today we get a big dinner tons and tons of good polish food because my mom is an amazing cook!
