One treat I remember clearly growing up was the Tuesday when Mom made, with donut dough, what we called fastnacht.  I did not think much about its origin, but remember with delight how we each had a small bowl with new maple syrup into which we dipped the tasty fastnacht.  I think this tradition came down to us through my mother – her Pennsylvania Dutch culture.  Whatever, it was a highlight that pointed to the coming of Spring.

Of course, through the years this “feast” took on heavier meaning as it got tied into the suffering and death of Jesus.  Yet I applaud my ancestors for celebrating the suffering of Christ in this way.

The sweetness of the newly boiled maple syrup is a memory in my mind that seems indelible.