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Easter

Easter is the only Christian Festival which does not fall on a definite date – it varies according to the full moon and takes place on a Sunday between late March and late April. In the Bible, Christ’s resurrection, took place three days after his crucifixion by the Romans, at the time it was the Jewish Passover, which is celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal equinox, around 21st March.

In 325, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. This year, 2017, it falls on Sunday 16th April.

Christianity absorbed many pagan traditions in the early days and Easter is most likely named after Eostre, a pagan goddess whose symbol was a hare or rabbit. Among the German Lutherans the Easter hare judged the behaviour of children. The custom was first mentioned in a book called ‘About Easter Eggs’ (De ovis paschalibus), in which the hare brought coloured eggs to good children. A symbol of fertility and rebirth, one tradition was to stain eggs red in memory of the blood of Christ. This custom can be traced back to early Christians of Mesopotamia, and spread from there through the Churches. This use of eggs may have been influenced by ancient practices in Egypt. Of course, now we prefer chocolate eggs.

Ostara and her Hare by Johannes Gehrts, 1884 Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny, Hot cross buns! If you have no daughters, Give them to your sons, One a penny two a penny, Hot cross buns!

Above: A well known Nursery Rhyme, first published in 1798, but there was an earlier version: Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs With one or two a penny Hot cross buns.

In the old Testament, the Israelites baked sweet buns to present to an idol. This tradition continued throughout many countries. During Lent, no dairy products were eaten, but plain unspiced buns were baked. On Good Friday spiced buns with a cross on top were baked and eaten.

Legend in this country has it that these buns at Easter would keep until the following year; and that a bun hung in the kitchen would protect from evil spirits. In 1592 Elizabeth I ruled that these buns could only be sold on Good Friday, Christmas, and at funerals. This meant that people baked them at home, illegally. If they were caught the buns were confiscated and given to the poor.

In 1664 Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary of eating wiggs for supper. Wiggs were spiced fruit buns, similar to the Hot Cross Bun.

“So home to dinner, and had an excellent Good Friday dinner of peas porridge and apple pye … then to walk in the garden with my wife, and so to my office a while, and then home to the only Lenten supper have had of wiggs and ale, and so to bed.” Ed. AD