Yesterday was the vernal (spring) equinox in the northern hemisphere.  From this day forward, through the summer solstice, days will be longer ("larger") than the nights. 

So, PRIECIGAS LIELDIENAS! 
This is the time of year the latvians celebrate with arrising before sunrise to greet the sun, ‘egg battles’ - “kaulesanas ar olam”, swinging on the large swing, which represent the pendulum of days & nights being of equal length - “suposanas” , and general fun & hilarity because the days of heavy spring chores are almost here.

As it happens, KRISTUS AUGSAMCELSANAS DIENA is celebrated by christians this weekend, so the 2 holidays fall very close together.  It is a time to renew your faith in the resurrection of Jesus.  People have observed Holy week and now celebrate this greatest event of the Christian church.

Sveika Ilze!

I don’t quite get that there are 2 holidays that come together this year--Lieldienas, Augsamcelsanas Diena, I thought were one and the same; maybe one that you mentioned has something specifically to do with Dievturiba?  Last year pareizticigas Lieldienas (Orthodox Easter) and Easter celebrated by Lutherans, Catholics, etc. came together at the same time, something that has not occurred for a very long time.  This year the Orthodox Easter comes at the end of April.

I have already started coloring some of my eggs and tried using red onion skins on some of the eggs as well as the traditional yellow onion skins.  Bet, neredzeju leilu atskiribu starp abam.  In addition, I went outside to try and find ferns and ‘natras’, nettles(?), the latter, which have overtaken parts of yard.  I had to search under the leaves to find them and only found a few, small ones which were just beginning to sprout.  I know these were natras, inspite of the small leaves, because my hands started itiching.  My mother said that natras gave a very unique, beautiful green color to the eggs, but the results weren’t very satisfying--came out kinda’ pale, tadas nekrasainas.  You probably need much more than I could find with bigger leaves.  Anyway--it’s fun experimenting and we’ll have lots and lots of eggs this year to do battle with and to eat.

Priecigas Lieldienas, Augsamcelsanas Diena tev un visiem Loliesiem!

Irena

RE:  coloring eggs. 
If you want a deeper color to develop onthe eggshell, you have to leave the eggs in the color bath for a longer time.
We’ve wrapped shredded red cabbage around eggs (same procedure as onion skins) but if you boil them & unwrap right away, you will get a very pale blue-grey marbelized egg.  If you leave the wrapped eggs in the color bath overnight (8+ hours) the eggs are a startling blue marbelized color.

Variations:  when using the red cabbage, add just a FEW flecks of onion skins right next to the egg.  Color is blue marble with surprise patches of umber/brown.  Warning - if you use too many onion skins with the cabbage, the color will turn into a muddy brown marbl effect.

Extra color:  use parsley leaves (these give not a lot of color, but leave a nice pale impression alongside the onion skins), celery leaves, a sprinkling of turmeric (or just a bath of turmeric) for a really golden yellow colored egg.

Some years I bought the store-brand egg dyes (Paas) and prepared them.  Then I took my onion skin colored eggs and dipped each into a different dye bath for just a FEW seconds.  The onion color still dominates, but the contrasting color leaves just a hint of shadow on the egg also.

“LIELDIENAS” is a strictly latvian term describing the length of days; spring equinox celebrated on or around March 21.
“KRISTUS AUGSAMCELSANAS SVETKI” would be the latvian term for EASTER; the date is a changeable one.  Since the phrase is so long, hardly anybody uses it, going with the much shorter and more familiar term for the spring equinox.

Paldies!  Re: the eggs, now I see.  I did remove them from the skins, wrappers relatively early; it did occur to me that maybe I should have left them in the color bath longer, though I didn’t know it had to be for 8 hours.  It’s good to get all these helpful hints and the paler, washed out looking ones I’ll work on again tomorrow, try and bright them up a bit.

Again, thanks for the tips!

Irena

Depending on availability – have you tried new leaves off a birch tree?
If I recall correctly, also willow foliage gives nice color.

Have fun :)

Mr. L. L.

Sveiki Mr. L.L.!

I haven’t tried birch or willow, but I’ll file that away for the future. This year, Easter is so early in New England that there are no leaves on the trees yet.  But, I suppose, I shouldn’t complain; other parts of the country are flooded or blanketed with snow.

Visu labu.

Irena