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Jump to: Future dates for Easter | Foods Associated with Easter | Easter Menu
By the 18th century, the first chocolate Easter eggs appeared in France and Germany and soon spread to the rest of Europe and elsewhere. Certainly in the UK, the giving of chocolate eggs isn't restricted to children and many an adult is disappointed if they don't get at least one!
Simnel cake
Hot cross buns Also check out our Roast Turkey menu with countdown
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Eggs
signify new life. The giving of chocolate Easter Eggs in the UK has become a
widespread tradition although in truth the tradition has its roots much further
back in history and was originally a pagan ritual celebrating the advent of
spring.
Passion
Fruit is another food closely associated with Easter, the reason being that
the plant was given it’s name by Christian missionaries who used the flower to
symbolise the “Passion of Christ” i.e. his suffering at the crucifixion, to the
indigenous natives in South America.
When
you look at the flower, it’s easy to see why. The double row of coloured
filaments (the corona) represented either the crown of thorns and a halo; The
ten sepals and petals represented the disciples (apart from Judas and Peter, who
both distanced themselves from Christ prior to the crucifixion; The five
anthers were the five wounds on his body; The three
stigmas the nails; The leaves
represent the spear that the Roman soldiers used to pierce
his side or in some cases the clutching hands of the
soldiers; The tendrils (which you can’t actually see in
this picture) the whips which were used to scourge him.
Easter
is preceded by Lent which is a period of 40 days which signifies Christ's time
in the wilderness. It is traditionally a period of fasting which
ends at Easter with a feast consisting of the rich foods which couldn't be
eaten. The making of Simnel cake was a tradition in the 17th century, when
servant girls would take one home to their mothers as a gift. It is
decorated with 11 marzipan balls signifying the 12 apostles minus Judas, who
betrayed Christ.
Once
again, the eating of hot cross buns stemmed from the Saxon pagan practice of
eating as buns marked with a cross in honour of the goddess Eostre. It is
believed that the bun signified the moon and the cross the moon's quarters.
In Christianity, the cross symbolises Christ's death on the cross - the
crucifixion.