Easter, Here and There

Today is Easter Sunday. However we live in Saudi Arabia where Easter is not recognized, and so this weekend has been exactly like every other weekend. But before my husband left for work this morning, we sent each of our three children a traditional Easter greeting, The L is risen, and then received back the expected response, “He is risen indeed. The L’s name be praised.”  You see, Easter's always been a very special part of our family life. Even in Saudi Arabia.

But that was a couple of hours ago and now I look out the window at the dust and wind. I’m glad I got my early morning walk in, because I won't be going out again today. It's just not nice. The day will be long and quiet. I think again of our children, each celebrating Easter in a different way and place.  My older daughter, husband and small son are staying with family in a small village in England. 

Right now they're attending their village church and later they'll share Easter eggs over lunch. Yesterday I received a photo of their little boy making a bread man with hands clasping an egg.  Such fun.

My other daughter is in Rome with her husband. They sent us what looks like a very exciting itinerary full of walks, galleries and exploring. 

The Sistine chapel in Rome, Ponte Vecchio in Florence and ruins in Pompeii. My husband and I looked at it and agreed, it’d be nice to be there too.  Today I noticed that their planning includes a traditional festivity involving fireworks, as well as a church service. It sounds good, and reminds me just a little of the Easter we spent in Vienna. My son meanwhile, is in New Zealand, celebrating Easter with family in Palmerston North. He sent us a Joy Cowley poem from his Good Friday service so I know there’ll be some traditional services and celebrating going on there too.

And as for us, well a few weeks ago I did manage to find chocolate eggs, but the sight of them in the cupboard was too much, and I must confess they did not last the distance.  So there’s been no special celebrating. 

In fact our high point was a visit yesterday to Al Hazaz. Friends of ours call these shops ‘everything shops’ because they really do stock everything. And so while family were spending time together in traditional Easter ways, we were prowling shelves and aisles.

Here's some of what we saw...

And here’s a clip I sent to the family when we got home. It's something my husband bought.

My daughter’s response was that it looked like a flying Easter egg. Now there’s a novel Saudi concept.