This year the 9th April marks Easter Sunday, the date in the Christian calendar when Jesus rose from the dead following his crucifixion 3 days earlier. Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion and Easter Monday are national holidays when most people are off work.
Easter eggs have also become synonymous with Easter, an egg is a symbol of new life and for Christians, Easter eggs are used as a symbol for the resurrection of Jesus. Nowadays, most Easter eggs are made from chocolate and are covered in coloured foil.
Hot cross buns are also an Easter staple, the cross on top symbolises the crucifixion and some believe that the spices also symbolise spices used to embalm Jesus after the crucifixion. No one is quite sure where hot cross buns originated. It’s possible they originated in St Albans in the 12th Century when a monk made them on Good Friday to distribute to the poor. WE do know that in the 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I banned them except at Easter, Christmas, and funerals because they were thought to have magical healing powers. I don’t know about that but I do love a good hot cross bun, toasted with jam.
It’s over 30 years since Ramadan, Passover and Easter coincided, and I have enjoyed finding out and sharing traditions. The next festival I will be looking at comes soon on the 14th April, the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi.