We are a household of two different religions and cultures. Both our worlds were so far apart as we grew up that we were separated by a wall - literally. My husband was born and raised as a Catholic in the “GDR” or what is known as East Germany. A child of the 70s and 80s, at a young age he saw the wall come down in his early twenties. I am a Sikh, born in Bombay and raised around the world from the US to the Middle East. Fate definitely played a big role in bringing us together.
“When two souls are meant to be as one,
A mysterious power will bring them together no matter how far apart”
After 16 years together we have become a pretty good team. There are times however, when our upbringing becomes very apparent, often with regards to our son. My husband, due to the circumstances he was raised in, is conservative and at times even narrow-minded on certain topics. As an Indian I was raised to respect our traditions and cultures but very openly and freely. At times I am probably too liberal in my thinking. Funnily though, when it comes to establishing rules I am the stricter of the two.
My husband likes coming home and being at home: garden work, DIY jobs around the home – all are his ideal ideas of spending free time. I love getting out, taking spontaneous trips, going out with friends or inviting them over, the theatre or concerts. He wants to buy a house; I think we have time for that when we are 60. He enjoys German stand-up comedy on TV, I rather watch Game of Thrones.
We usually find common grounds on most subjects and our 11-year old son grows up with a colorful and diverse lifestyle and will often have two very different perspectives. He uses this to his advantage as his teachers have often told us that he tackles issues and problems at school from several sides and proposes ideas that are out of the box. From my husband’s perspective, who was taught to live within walls, without having the freedom of expressing thoughts or ideas, he is proud that his son has this privilege.
Interestingly enough when it comes to traditions my husband is fairly liberal, whereas I on the other hand find that traditions make a strong foundation for a family. So, I pay attention to give our son a balance of both his cultures and values from both our religions. Holidays like Easter are always a good time to discuss and research customs and traditions and a great place to do this is in the kitchen while baking or cooking.
Easter is one of the most popular religious holidays in Germany. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some, modern-day Easter traditions however, still contain traces of even older pagan rituals. Dying eggs, for instance, goes back to a pre-Christian symbol of fertility
Bordeaux.
One popular tradition here in Germany is Easter egg hunting. On Easter Sunday families will spend the morning in the garden or around the house hunting for hidden colored eggs, nests with chocolate, baked goods and gifts. My favorite tradition, I have to say. I tend to integrate other customs I picked up from the countries I grew up in and spread them further amongst my German friends and family members.
I love baking mini challahs and hot cross buns, putting them in baskets with pretty colored eggs and flowers and leaving them for my friends on their doorsteps or hiding the baskets in bushes for my family to hunt. As the ears of chocolate rabbits are then bitten off I enjoy sitting back and listening to my husband’s grandmother tell us stories of Easter festivities when she was growing up
Flower delivery service.
Hot cross buns have become a tradition here, I’ve been baking them almost every year for the past 10-12 years. Often I bake the traditional hot cross buns but there are times when I am in the mood to play around and try out different ideas. This year I deviated from the classic recipe and created luscious and sinful buns packed with dark chocolate chunks, moist prunes and sweet cherries. All I can say religious or not – get into the kitchen and start kneading
property hk. Enjoy!
