We Christians have different times in year. The most known is Christmas, which is also celebrated by non-Christians now. The other big moment for us in the year is Easter time. These two, Christmas and Easter, are the most important points for us in the year. And they’re both following a period of waiting. For Christmas, it’s Advent time which last the whole month of December till Christmas. For Easter, this period is longer. First there’re the 40 days of Lent, then the Holy Week.
A few years ago, I realized that many people; Christians, non-Christians, whatever they are; do celebrate Christmas and Easter and spend Advent, but not Lent. Probably it’s because Christmas, Eatser and Advent have been associated by brands and our society in general with good moments, good food etc Whereas, Lent means moderation, restrictions etc for many people and it scares them. It seems easier to buy and offer presents for Christmas, have a good Christmas meal, have Easter’s chocolates etc than trying to restrain ourselves, eat less, make efforts for the 40 days of Lent. And that is natural, it’s normal that making efforts on ourselves is way more difficult than giving to others or receiving and having a good time. Working is always more difficult than playing.
Moreover, as Lent means restrictions, moderation, it doesn’t look that interesting, money speaking, for brands and firms, as their target is to make more and more money. So it’s normal not to see them promoting Lent time in supermarkets etc and not encouraging people to do Lent.
For me, Lent is a very important time of the year. For me, it’s not only about restraining ourselves, it’s also improving ourselves in our hearts and thinking about others, doing something for others. It also means looking forward to Easter, this wonderful moment.
I quickly realized that kids “celebrate” Advent with a calendar which is here to help them wait until Christmas and presents are here. But what about Lent? Nothing, most of the time. This is how I came up with an idea. And if there was something, like Advent Calendar, that would help children being conscious about Lent and its meanings and wait until Easter is here ? But I had to keep in mind that while Advent Calendar is more about receiving a small gift everyday, Lent should be more about giving or creating something everyday. This is how my idea of creating a Lent Egg Basket was born !
The idea is quite simple. Everyday, until the Holy Week, the child decorate an egg(fake, actual, it doesn’t matter) and place it in a basket. This way he would be encouraged to create something, to take part(in a way) in Spring’s work. Because after all, Easter is happening in the same time that Spring. And Spring is about Nature coming back to life. I thought of eggs because it can reminds the child about Easter with chocolate eggs, chocolate hens etc.
Personally, I’m gonna use a cute basket to store all these eggs I’m gonna decorate and custom during Lent. I’ll try not to purchase a lot and recycle as much as I can during this craft process. This way I’ll stay in the spirit of Lent, no high-consumption but creation still.
At the end of Lent, I’ll share with you how my Lent Basket would have turned out.
What do you think of this idea? Do you have any tradition of that kind in your country or in your family?
I hope you like this post. Thank you for passing by and reading my blog, it means a lot to me.
I’ll talk to you soon in a next post,
Until then, take care of yourself ❤
Ady ❤
Little House of Ady 