flower by Roanne Robbins
T
he old Germanic tradition of the Easter tree seems to have made its way into modern American custom. These trees have not achieved the popularity of that other holiday tree, but you’re familiar with the look: colored eggs, ribbon, and branches. There are many ways to craft a beautiful Easter tree, but if you dig deep into its tradition and look at its original symbolism and expression, you realize the Easter tree can be a beautiful, personal statement of the season. The nineteenth-century Pennsylvania Dutch adorned their homes with such a tree, most commonly a sassafras sapling they would cut before leafing. They would wrap its branches in cotton batting then adorn them with eggs, which were often dyed naturally with onion skins, indigo, beets, or yarrow and artistically decorated in a variety of ways. The appeal lies in the contrast between the candy–toned eggs and early spring’s naked branches, with the egg symbolizing rebirth and the bare branches making their way into the new growing season. Nowadays it is common to see the Easter tree represented by an artistic tabletop arrangement of pussy willow branches adorned with dyed eggs or an outdoor interpretation of plastic eggs hung on tree branches. Regardless the implementation of the tradition, the Easter tree plays well with spring’s symbolism—rebirth, fertility, and regrowth. Spring is newly sprouted grasses, blossoms on bare branches, rejuvenated patches of moss, and candy-toned bulbs that bring color and promise to the landscape. It’s the joy, fun, and
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LEAF MAGAZINE
spring 2013