Pääsiäinen on tulossa! Or, Easter is coming.

...and what do they do in Finland for Easter?

Well, they do a few different things. No, that isn't a plate of mämmi either. It is a plate of dirt and grass seeds.

Why the grass seeds? Well, it is for the little baby chicks to stand it. After the grass grows.

I don't know don't ask me. The Finn just brought them home one day saying, look I've got a suprise for you. I said, oh how nice, marshmellow chicks and some pumpkin seeds?

Can I eat these things?, I asked. Noooo!, replied the Finn totally aghast at the suggestion.

I was then told that it is just a traditional thing to do in Finland. It is for decoration. Well, a good thing. No worrying about lintu influenza in this household and also, no worries about counting calories when there are no marshmellow chicks to eat.

Alas, I piled dirt on the plate, watered it down, ripped open my bag of seeds and sowed them.

They looked quite unappetizingly like little maggots. I was reminded of the deer carcass my father left in the garage one year with its rotting flesh and squirmy little white diners. Uh, do I cover these up?, I questioned. Yes, put more dirt and water., replied the Finn.
Awwww, look at the lil' uns. I started opening the box to take them out of their container and place them on the wet dirt, when I thought better of it and asked if I should do so.

Scoffingly the Finn told me resoundingly to not put them on the muddy plate. I was told that I should wait until the grass has grown.

You know, from a distance, these little suckers look kind of tasty.