While doing research on Easter traditions in Germany, I came across the “Osterbaum” or “Ostereibaum” or Easter Egg Tree. Of course, I have seen the little white twig trees made in China that one can buy at craft stores. They come in a box and there are tiny pastel colored Easter ornaments that come with it. They look festive.
Today there are many more German sites about Easter traditions and many more images of these traditions posted. I was completely floored when I saw some of these Easter Egg Trees. They are oozing with personality, color and vitality. They truly seem to embody the ancient symbolism of new life, for the process of resurrection and new life is a highly creative, transformative, energy filled process.
How does this relate to storytelling? I read one story of a little boy who after WWII, in 1945, saw a small Easter Egg Tree. The tree moved his spirit and gave him much joy. When he grew up and had children, he wanted to share that joy with his family. He planted an apple tree in his yard. At Easter time he and his family decorated it with 18 plastic eggs. Then the tree grew. Every year they put on more eggs, but plastic eggs were too expensive, so they blew real eggs. They baked cakes with the whites and yolks and decorated the hollow shells for the Easter Egg Tree. It continued to grow into an energy filled creative endeavor. This year the tree has 10,000 eggs on it.
As a storyteller, I find inspiration here and there, color spots that bring me joy. Since joy cries out to be shared, I too plant a little tree and decorate it. The little tree grows and touches more and more people. At the same time the process of creating and sharing transforms me. Storytelling is an organic process of transformation, for both the teller and the listener.
The image at the top of the post can be found here: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/tree-decorated-with-10000-easter-eggs
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