Osterhasenwiese 2006 not only in Germany…

How Easter is celebrated in Schoenstatt

Hna Bernadett-Maria, Hna Liane en la entrevista Sister Bernadett-Maria, Sister Liane during the interview Schwester Bernadett-Maria und Schwester Liane beim Interview
Tres personas, cuatro idiomas para comunicarse: Aleman, español, ingles, portugues... Three people, four languages to communicate: German, Spanish, English, Portuguese... Drei Leute, vier Sprachen: Deutsch, Spanisch, Englisch, Portugiesisch… Fotos: Lara Marañon © 2006
Con muchos niños buscarán huevos en el Santuario de La Loma With many other children will they do Easter egg hunt at the Shrine in La Loma Mit vielen anderen Kindern warden diese zwei an Ostern Eier suchen Foto: Ríos © 2006
Que alegría de encontrarlo! What a search-and-find joy! Wer wird das finden? Foto: Scherer © 2006
¿Dónde buscan ellos? And where are they searching? Und wo suchen sie? Foto: Ríos © 2006

SCHOENSTATT, Maria del Rosario Lara Marañon. " I am always getting ideas from the schoenstatt.de web page to see how we can carry them out; Can someone teach me something about this game and the significance of the eggs?"…this was the curiosity that was awakened in Tita Rios, on the other side of the Atlantic, in the city of Parana, Argentina, province of Entre Rios, about an article published on the web page last year ago, about the "Egg Hunt" carried by the children and their families, another way to celebrate the Easter joy in Schoenstatt.

Easter is the celebration of the great step in which life triumphs over death. For Christians, it is the feast in which Jesus conquers death and resurrects to save us. The cross is empty and it gives a sense of hope. So…who can deny that Easter is also synonymous to the famous Easter eggs, of candy, and lots of chocolates? Easter: art made of chocolate.

Tita’s question was turned into action. What game were you referring to? "Egg Hunt?"

Language barriers did not stop neither Tita Ríos nor the volunteer of Press Office Schoenstatt from going out in search of an answer that would explain what was being done in Schoenstatt to attract more families and to achieve that they find a place of formation and of spiritual growth at this place. Sister Bernadett Maria used her ability to speak English to explain in detail what took place in Osterhasenwiese 2005, and each time an English word was lacking, Sister Liane helped by using words in Portuguese. (it would have been much easier if we had a common language!...)

"Egg Hunt" in Schoenstatt

Every Easter Sunday, Schoenstatt invites people to participate in the Easter Holy Mass in the morning and then they can participate for approximately and hour or an hour and a half before lunch in some family entertainment. The game is derived from an old tradition that is still kept in Germany and it consists of going to the garden in search of Easter eggs and other surprises, (all of them sweet) that are hidden among the first flowers of spring that will lead the group, from one clue to another, until the Easter prize is found. (It is even sweeter!).

Eggs are a symbol of new life that is born, the hidden eggs contain a "clue" waiting for some member of the family, especially the younger ones, will discover it and once they

figure it out they go running, just as if they were spring rabbits, and proceed to next station.

"Clues" to solve as a family

A "clue" is a test that must be solved; it could a riddle, a little game, a song, or some many other things, easy for some and truly a challenge for others. Just as death, the "clues" are a step towards reaching the grand prize, eternal life, but this time it is chocolate.

It is hard to explain with words, and it is a great learning experience for the adults to see the happy faces of the little ones when they find that egg! Innocent, tender, free…these children do not think how difficult the test can be, on the contrary, they are already enjoying from the start the joy of knowing they are winners: the egg announces victory, it contains the key that will take them to the next step.

Opportunities for families

The arduous and no less entertaining task of communicating during that encounter with Sister Liane and Sister Bernadett Maria, made the time pass quickly. Neither one could stop from being enthused when they tried to transmit the wide variety of Easter traditions and customs that exist and form part of the tradition of this European country. Thousands of lines could be written about them! (although, readers would be lacking in this world with so little time..)

During the year Schoenstatt has similar events that are dedicated especially for families. It is enough to consult the calendar which is carefully planed and to be attentive so that you do not miss such an opportunity of growing and maturing in the affects that support us and that are transcendental. The next one: Osterhasenwiese 2006, in Germany and in Argentina.

Argentina will also celebrate Osterhasenwiese

After Tita’s curiosity, they began to work and next Sunday, after the Easter Mass presided by Father Pablo Mullin (Assessor of the Movement in Parana, Argentina ) there will also be an egg hunt with the help of the parents, grandparents or aunts and uncles, who donated the chocolate eggs and the other things needed for such an event…

Soon we will tell you about the echoes of such sweetness that was noticed across the Atlantic, where the summer sun is moving away, to bring the old world a promise of life…that is needed more than ever at this time.

Translation: Celina Garza, Harlingen, Texas, USA