Easter—some personal thoughts

In the Christian tradition, there are two great festivals—those of Christmas and Easter. Whereas Christmas is always celebrated on the same day (December 25), the date of the Easter festival is variable depending on the lunar calendar and it follows the Jewish Passover.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and Christmas (at least in Christian terms) celebrates his birth which was foretold in Hebrew scriptures. Christmas is held in the depth of winter close to the Winter Solstice. The origins of holding a festival at this time had much to do with the prospect of marking the passing of the depth of winter and it was a natural time to celebrate.

Easter is somewhat complex in its manner of celebration since it involves both suffering and death as well as a return to life. On the one hand it is a remembrance of Christ's painful death on the Roman Cross which is remembered on Good Friday but then on the Sunday following, Jesus "rose from the dead" or came back to life—but transformed. To his disciples or followers, this was the clearest demonstration of the immortality of the soul.

The simplest way of looking at Easter might be to consider it as a time of rebirth. Perhaps it was a happy coincidence that the Passover coincides with the northern Spring as this is the season where nature itself comes back to life. Indeed the word Easter comes from the Saxon word Eostre—the goddess of Spring—whose feast was held on the Vernal Equinox, or the time the sun passes into the Northern Hemisphere on its annual cycle.

The forty days prior to Easter are known as "Lent" or the "Lenten period." Traditionally it is a time of fasting and frugal living which perhaps, following on from the feasting and indulgence of the Christmas period, was as good for the heart as it was for the soul. The period of Lent is meant to be a time of reflection where we can think about our life and its direction. Basically, it provides us with an opportunity for self-examination and redirecting our own lives as we prepare for the year ahead.

It is also traditional at Easter time to give out Easter eggs as a symbol of new life. Early eggs were ordinary eggs that were decorated in bright colours, especially red, but nowadays, and particularly in European countries, they are often made of chocolate. Easter eggs are normally given out on Easter Sunday.

Two other foods associated with Easter are Hot Cross Buns and Simnal Cake. Hot Cross Buns are spiced fruit buns sold in Holy Week and to be eaten on Good Friday with the cross on the bun standing as a symbol of the crucifixion. Early buns were made from the consecrated dough used to make communion wafers but today this tradition too has become commercialised with Hot Cross Buns being promoted and sold throughout the weeks leading up to Easter. What was once meant to provide a special "treat" after the fasting of the Lenten period, has now become promoted as a special indulgence to be enjoyed throughout the period.

Simnal cake has not yet been commercialised and in some places, its tradition is dying out which is a pity. This rich fruit cake is usually eaten on Easter Day and in Medieval times female servants would bake this cake and take it to their mothers on "Mothering Sunday" which, in the Church calendar, is the time to honour mothers and is the fourth Sunday during the period of Lent. Later it became more popular as a special treat to mark the end of the 40 days of Lent.