EASTER Why hot cross buns and pickled fish on Easter?
Are hot cross buns and pickled fish pagan traditions, or does it bare some significance in what Easter is all about?
By mid-March, you should be able to smell the pleasant fragrances of something spicy, cinnamony, and sweet when entering a supermarket, and it will immediately have your nose transport you to a sticky bun-shaped delight loaded with raisins and warmth.
But the question about the origins of hot cross buns and why it is so popular during Easter time is one that will probably never go away. Again, this year social media is already flooded with questions about the significance of hot cross buns, and pickled fish during Easter and when Googling it, you will find numerous answers to satisfy your curiosity about it.
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One of the first answers to pop up on Google is that hot cross buns are inextricably linked to Easter and Christianity.
“But in reality, they probably have pre-Christian origins. ‘Cross Buns’ were baked to celebrate Eostre, a Germanic Goddess of Fertility, after which the season of Easter is said to be named,” the post reads.
According to Critical Food Studies , pickled fish and hot cross buns on the plate play a regulatory role during the Easter period. This collective does not normally go together at any other time of the year except for Easter.
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“For Christians, this collective comes together to act as a symbol of remembering the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Luke 24:41, Jesus showed his hands and feet to his disciples who did not believe him. He asked them if they have anything to eat and the disciples gave him a piece of fish which he took and ate in their presence. The act of eating the fish was to dispel the disbelief of his disciples.
“However, every Easter the plate of fish and hot cross buns is a religious symbol for Christians as they reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and the wondrous miracle of his resurrection. The plate of pickled fish and hot cross buns collective also regulates how mothers and daughters interact in its production,” the website states.
Do you agree with this? What customs do you and your family follow throughout the Easter season? Please share your thoughts with us by posting a comment on our Facebook page.
*Source – https://www.criticalfoodstudies.co.za/.
