By Mary Ebach, Rugby, North Dakota

Easter was not quite as memorable as Christmas was at our house. Because it is a religious holiday, church going took precedence. During Lent we went to Stations of the Cross every Wednesday and Friday evenings. But during Holy Week, the week before Easter, meant going to church nearly every day. Holy Thursday and Good Friday were long church services with the reading of the Passion and they were times for serious thinking and praying. On Holy Saturday was the time when Ma got the eggs ready to boil and dye them. Of course they were our own eggs, picked fresh from the chicken coop and aged a day or so. She always coated the dyed eggs with a bit of lard to give them a nice sheen. We seemed to always have ham for Easter and Ma covered it with dough before baking it. It made the meat nice and juicy and retained the flavor. Our mother had baked some bread with raisins in the dough. She then took some to church and put it on the Communion rail and the priest blessed the Easter food that the people brought in for that reason. She also had Easter candy that she put in a basket. Easter Sunday meant the little ones always wore their prettiest dresses, but everyone wore their best clothes, including hats, for Mass. After Mass, we feasted on a large meal with the ham and all the other trimmings. Times and customs may change a bit, but the memories stay on.