Recently fellow Steemians @amy-goodrich, @kiwi-deb and I had a small interaction around Easter and hot cross buns which set me to thinking about how these ‘traditions’ actually originate, as well as how commercialised it has become.
A display of hot cross buns
In 1361 a monk, Father Thomas Rockcliffe started giving hot cross buns to homeless and poor people on Good Friday. The way I understand it the hot cross buns symbolises Christ on the cross, yet originally the buns with a candy white cross over it represented the four quarters of the moon in the Saxon times.
Rows and rows of different types of chocolate easter eggs and chocolate easter bunnies
In the Saxon days the start of spring was celebrated with a festival commemorating their goddess of fertility and Spring, Eastre.
From www.iol.co.za :_
Some of the pagan traditions which have been absorbed in Easter include the Easter Bunny, a symbol of fertility, and coloured Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring in the northern hemisphere.
Tubs and tubs of pickled fish
Pickled fish appears to be unique to South Africa (I may be wrong but reading about Easter traditions online I find no reference to pickled fish in other countries) and is attributed to different origins, such as Catholic beliefs where land animals / meat may not be eaten over the Easter period to practical reasons like no fishing boats going out over easter, so no fresh fish available. Hence the communities pickled their fish to put on the table.
There is actually a lot more to the traditions and origins of easter than I have covered here…. Me personally I am all for the fertility rituals and celebrations…. Sounds like a lot more fun than brutalising someone on a cross. But whatever your bent, have a safe pleasant Easter weekend
As always…. Thanks for reading!!
