Easter is here again and I can’t believe I am laid back and not running around trying to cook the best meal to fete friends and people around me. I’m at home watching movies and sleeping intermittently. Enjoying my holiday alone.
Easter celebrations was a big thing with my parents. We had an Easter tradition which we strictly adhere to. It was about church activities, cooking, baking and sharing.
There are different traditional easter meals we cooked and gave out to everyone we knew. It was always a big funfare and I was happy to help my mother in the kitchen despite always being covered in flour while mixing the dough.
Many years down the line with my parents long gone, I haven’t been able to maintain that tradition. My siblings had carried on with it, with their own individual families but I couldn’t. Not because I don’t want to, but it is too much work for me.
Back then, we had dishes that took us three days to prepare and my older siblings were there to help. (By the way, I am the youngest of them.)
We had this beans meal made with coconut milk. We had to crack and grate a large number of coconut for long hours because of the quantity of milk we needed.
Baking and cooking starts from Holy Thursday till Saturday and we continued on Easter Sunday after church service. Easter Monday was used as a resting day after attending church activities.
Some of my siblings have continued to lovingly scold me for not keeping up with our Easter family tradition.
I honestly don’t see it as a big deal but they always like to make me feel guilty.
They don’t want to understand my schedule and I have no helping hand. Especially to crack and grate the coconut. I dare not buy aIready made coconut milk, my sisters will not let me be, if they knew it was not home made.
I can cook other simple meals but no, it has to be my mother’s traditional food or nothing else. My siblings think, it’s a way of honouring her memory during the Easter festivities.
They figured if they can do it, why can’t I.
There are so many people who haven’t been able to continue with one family tradition or another. Even the ones that are more serious than mine.
Things are different when we become adults, faced with life challenges. We may not be able to continue in our family footsteps.
I don’t think people should see that as being irresponsible. Some people are so engrossed with their own lives that they can not maintain a family tradition, keep a family heirloom or continue with a generational family business. It is not selfishness to me, it is called living.
I do not have anything against family traditions but there should be room for flexibility. Nothing is constant in life, except change.
If you can continue with your family tradition, please do. Play your part but don’t criticise your partner or other people for not keeping up with their own neither should you make them feel irresponsible.
May we find our way, all through our journey in life with joy and happiness. Happy Easter.
bunchup 