An atypical situation – an atypical Easter

A different sort of Easter

The Easter holiday is almost on our doorsteps. However, this year it will take place behind closed doors, within our four walls, in the garden or on the balcony. We’re staying at home for the sake of our health, and the health of others. But this absolutely does not mean that the Easter celebrations are cancelled. Far from it! With a little creativity, imagination and improvisation, it will be possible to celebrate Easter even during the corona pandemic, and in a way that you will happily remember for years.

Take this as your motto: an atypical situation requires an atypical Easter celebration! Here are a few ideas that we have put together to make your Easter unforgettable:

An Easter holiday – in your imagination
You had been planning your Easter holiday with your family for some time, and now it has to be cancelled because of the corona pandemic. Easter is taking place at home this year. Instead of sitting disappointedly at home and brooding about how nice it would have been in, say, Ticino, bring Ticino into your living room. Play a game as a family and set forth on an imaginary journey. Together, imagine that you are getting into your car, driving off, stuck in traffic queues at the Gotthard Tunnel, and that you finally arrive at your destination after what feels like forever. Every family member can talk about what they can see, how they feel, etc. Try to think yourselves into the situation, maybe even close your eyes when you start, to make it easier for you. Imagining things and talking about them with your whole family may possibly feel strange at the beginning. But the more you do it, the longer you go along with it, the more you will sense the story and become a part of it. For example, switch your radio to the Ticino station you always listen to on holiday, buy in the food that you would eat there and cook the dishes that you would probably order for dinner in a restaurant. In this way, your holiday is still happening, just differently, at home! It is entirely possible to create that holiday feeling yourselves, by acting as if you really were in Ticino. Instead of cooking and eating your dinner as usual, play at being in a restaurant. Imagine other restaurant guests and give free rein to your imagination. Describe to each other what your mind’s eye can see, maybe what the restaurant smells of, how noisy it is, what it looks like, etc. Be creative! Of course, this is easier if you often go there as a family and know your way around. Try it out. Children, with their imaginations, will particularly find it a lot of fun.

Dyeing Easter eggs
Whether with children, friends and neighbours, your partner or on your own – dyeing Easter eggs is always fun! What’s more, bright colours are good for the soul, and for your mood, so this Easter cannot be too colourful. Have granny and grandpa provided the dyed eggs in recent years, so you don’t know how to do it? Then call granny and grandpa and let the pros teach you over the phone or video call. If this isn’t possible, you will find more about dyeing, painting and decorating Easter eggs at Famigros Club.

Making Easter nests
Why not take advantage of the time at home and make Easter nests with the children? From modern Easter nest designs to a traditional Easter nest made of wool, you will find instructions for different styles here.

Easter brunch, together but distanced
Is an Easter brunch together a long tradition for you and your family, your friends and acquaintances? You cannot all come together now, but this does not mean that you cannot continue the tradition. Use digital media to have brunch together remotely. All you need for this is a laptop and food. Instead of inviting people to your house, you invite them to an Easter brunch over Skype, for example, at 11 am on Easter Sunday. All your guests then prepare their own food at home and connect at the agreed time via Skype on their laptops for your Easter brunch. There is space for your laptop where the guests usually sit, but you bring your guests into your dining room via your laptop. You can chat, laugh, tell jokes, maybe even play games, and eat your brunch – just as you did last year, and every year before that. And do you know what the best thing about this is? As the host, you can make your favourite dishes, and you only need to consider the other people who live in your household. You don’t have to worry about the likes, dislikes and dietary requirements of all the other 10 or 20 guests this year. That really is awesome, isn’t it? No one can grumble about the food, because everyone is responsible for what is on their own plates, and if your relatives even begin to get on your nerves, you can briefly switch off your microphone and camera, take a deep breath, then switch on again. This is also true for a coffee date or dinner. You can find different tools for group video chats in our article “Staying in touch, remotely”.

Easter food
As you’re not going away, and can’t go to a restaurant, you have the time to do the cooking yourself. Do you need ideas for your Easter Sunday brunch or Easter Monday dinner, or are you already toying with the idea of repurposing the chocolate Easter bunny? We have put together a few pages for you, where you can find recipes and ideas for your Easter menu.

• Recipes for a balanced diet at Easter
• Fooby – Easter recipes
• Migusto – a gastronomic, enjoyable Easter
• #BettyKochtMitDir - Betty Bossi – all her cookbooks are available online for free during the corona pandemic

Last but not least: Happy Easter!