Elfreide's Easter Egg Hunt

Elfriede darted in between the pines in the forest that sat only 100 metres from their farmhouse.   Her basket was overflowing with Easter eggs she had discovered that were neatly hidden by the Easter bunny.  Elfriede had woken up early that morning.  Following a family custom of the eldest waking up the younger children, and because she and her sister were the first ones awake, they had climbed a ladder to the second story of their house, unhooked the window, entered the bedroom, and spanked their brother, Friedrich, as well as two cousins visiting from the nearby city of Koenigsberg.  East Prussian children, mainly Lutheran, were given two full weeks off of school at Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  They had all quickly dressed and headed outside for their annual Easter egg hunt.  When they returned, Frau Adebahr told them that she was certain there was still one  more egg left in the woods.  However, Elfriede wondered why her mother knew where the Easter bunny had planted all of the eggs.  Later that day, Elfriede and her siblings collected real eggs from the hen house and helped their mother boil them and paint them, a popular tradition in the Baltic region.  “Frohe Ostern!”  

Dedicated to my husband Rob's Oma, Elfriede Neumann, who grew up in East Prussia in the 1910's and 1920's. 

Acrostic Poetry: A Hidden Message

Acrostic is derived from the French word "acrostiche".  "Stich" refers to a line or row of verse.  An acrostic is a poem in which the first letter, symbol or word of each line or paragraph spells out a word or message.  Acrostics date back to the Bible; examples can be found in the Book of Lamentations as well as the Psalms of the Hebrew Bible.  Psalm 145, which has an acrostic, is repeated three times a day in Jewish services.

Acrostics are also found in Medieval literature in which a poet is often highlighted; some acrostics were written as prayers to saints.  In chronicles, acrostics were often used in German and English. However, the Greeks also used acrostics; one such example spells out JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, SAVIOUR.  The Dutch national anthem is an example of an acrostic, spelling out the name WILLEM VAN NASSOV, referring to the Dutch royal William of Orange.  Examples of acrostics can be found in literature, such as the final chapter of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, which spells out the real Alice's full name, ALICE PLEASANCE LIDDELL.


Here is a French acrostic:

Paradis des monuments

Attend petits et grands

Reve des touristes et des enfants

Illumine par tous le temps

Sur la tour Eiffel c'est geant.

https://electricite-plus.com/2015/03/12/energie-eolienne-la-tour-eiffel-entre-dans-le-21e-siecle/

Here is a calendar acrostic to help remember the months of the year:

JANet was quite ill one day

FEBrile trouble came her way

MARtyr-like she lay in bed

APRoned nurses softly sped

MAYbe said the leech judicial

JUNket would be beneficial

JULeps, too, though freely tried

AUGured ill, for Janet died

SEPulchre was sadly made

OCTaves pealed and prayers were said

NOVices with ma'y a tear

DECorated Janet's bier.

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-banner-months-year-set-image12958705

The following poem is my attempt at an acrostic:

Put her hair in braids today;

It may be your only chance.

Give her a nice red ribbon.

Time will pass very quickly

And before you tie the bow,

I think she'll be all grown up.

Little girls become young women fast;

So put her hair in pigtails, for it sure won't last.

http://ksoo.com/april-8-2013-kids-jokes/

Visit http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/acrosticterm.htm for more examples of acrostics.