Tied in with its religious foundations of new belief and triumph over what is seemingly impossible, it is a hopeful time of year. Although devoid of the somewhat distasteful consumerism that surrounds the other famous Christian holiday – Christmas – Easter does have its own traditions, habits, activities and surrounding indulgences to mark its place in the modern social world.ĭue to its position on the calendar – occurring in March or April – Easter is associated with spring time, the birth of a new fertile year. One of the biggest of these such holidays is Easter, the time when Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. These holidays and their related activities form the cornerstone of the modern world calendar, even among those who does not practice the religion themselves. These traditions can range from the type of food to people eat, to particular activities that are enjoyed over the course of the celebration. With any holiday, be it religious or secular, there are accompanying traditions. Marzipan is rolled in to 11 balls and placed on top of the cake, to signify the Disciples of Jesus – all excluding Judas Iscariot, as he betrayed Christ.
This is a particular type of cake fruit-based, covered in marzipan and decorated in a particular way. Lamb is also associated with spring, and as Easter occurs in late March or in April, this coincides with the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.įinally, the dessert of traditionalists on Easter Sunday is known as Simnel Cake. Jesus was seen as the sacrificial lamb, dying to save the world from its sins, and is thus recognised with the choice of meat in a modern Easter meal. In terms of a main course on Easter Sunday, lamb is a favourite. Eggs are a long-associated symbol of new life and hope, and as Easter Sunday marks the Resurrection of Jesus, an apposite compliance with the gospels. On Easter Sunday, the traditional breakfast is one of boiled eggs. Hot cross buns are traditionally served on Good Friday – the day Jesus is said to have been crucified – as a reminder that the crucifixion was not the end, but merely the beginning. The tea cake is usually decorated with a ‘cross’, as a nod to the Christian foundations of Jesus being resurrected after his crucifixion, that form the basis of the Easter celebrations. Perhaps the most famous Easter food is the hot cross bun, a richly spiced tea cake (sometimes known as a scone). Like Christmas, the Christian festival of Easter is associated with particular food stuffs. Unless you live on a farm and can genuinely raise the chick as it grows in to a chicken, avoid this and stick to more conventional Easter gifts instead. With the association with spring, some parents are tempted to gift their children with chicks – another known symbol of Easter. As well as a hollowed out egg, these items usually contain one or two bars of the specific bar of chocolate.įinally, a word of caution. To really make your Easter gift delightful, check with the person you are gifting to as to what their favorite bar of chocolate is normally – and buy an Easter egg made of the same brand. Easter eggs are one of the most recognizable symbols of the period, and are produced by any confectioner or chocolate manufacturer worth bothering with. In terms of giving Easter gifts to children, think chocolate. Bouquets especially ordered are popular, though another option is to give a potted plant which can be transferred to the receivers’ garden and be left to grow and mature as a permanent memory of the gift. Flowers are a hugely popular gift, as Easter coincides with spring and many a flower experiences a bloom at this time. These tend to be smaller, more thoughtful gifts and there is certainly no mention of lists requesting what someone wants, or a mythical man who delivers to the entire world on one night!Įaster gifts can be a pleasant way to express affection for another person at a time outside of Christmas. Gift-giving is generally associated with Christmas, but in some cultures and – particularly – in some families, gifts are also exchanged at Easter. Easter has, by and large, dodged the relentless march of consumerism in the way its December counterpart – Christmas – has not been able to manage.
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