Easter - the tradition of Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Bun - ready for eating

Easter - this religious Christian event in the calendar has become synonymous with Hot Cross buns, Easter Eggs and the Easter Bunny (although in Australia this has been partially displaced by the Easter Bilby). So what is the significance of Hot Cross buns ? Traditionally these are consumed on the Good Friday of the Easter period to mark the end of Lent and may be consumed from the period of Shrove Tuesday through to midday, Good Friday. The buns are sweet buns but can be made without dairy products for those persons who have a more strict traditional interpretation. The cross on the bun is intended to depict the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the spice in a bun is intended as a representation of the embalming of Jesus at entombment. But Easter itself originated from ancient polytheistic religions or pagan and the name comes from the goddess Eostre. The use of crosses on various small cakes has a multiplicity of sources from Anglo Saxon to Roman and has since been appropriated by the Christian religion. Like Christmas, Easter is a blend of various religious practices over different periods of time representing a fusion of old and younger beliefs.