Hot Cross Buns

[Janice]

What is the significance behind Hot Cross Buns? Does anyone know?

As I went to the Bakers this morning - traditionalist that I am, I thought about the fact that you can virtually buy Hot Cross Buns at any time now, whereas when I was a girl, it was definetly only a Good Friday thing, unless you baked your own! I recall rushing with my Dad to get *Hot* Hot Cross Buns really early before the bakers ran out and then rushing home to eat them with lots of butter............yummy!

There is a tradition carried out in a Pub in the village where DH used to live (The Bell at Horndon on the Hill) which is on Good Friday at Opening Time, the oldest person in the village ceremoniously pins up on the beams in the bar this years Hot Cross Bun. There used to be some really old buns there going round the bar, in all stages of decay - I think it had been carried out for 100 years or so - and it was started by a New Innkeeper who took over the pub on Good Friday and marked the occassion by pinning up the bun.

Here is alink to some info about the Pub : The Bell - Horndon on the Hill, Essex

 

[WDWfan uk]

Okay, here is an explanation I found on the foodie site -


The Saxons worshipped Eostre, the goddess of dawn and spring, this word deriving from the Norse ‘eostur’ meaning the season of the growing sun. Eostre gave her name to Easter, the month-long festival to honour the arrival of spring and the passing of winter, and during this festival the Saxons made buns to offer the goddess.

So what about the cross? Well, it seems that the pagan cross, long used to represent the four phases of the moon, was the symbol of choice for the Saxons wanting to honour their goddess Eostre, so they marked their wheaten buns accordingly. When the Christians gained a firm foothold in Britain, their leaders banned the pagan Easter rites, and it was not until 782 AD, having found a way to incorporate some of these rites into the Christian ones held at this same time of year, that they decided that substitution was easier than fully-fledged conversion. The cross on the buns conveniently echoed the traditional Christian cross and the Easter festival became dominated by Christian traditions, the original pagan rites slowly sliding into obscurity. Nowadays, we all associate hot cross buns with Good Friday, and it is said that if made on this day they will never grow mouldy (quite why this is, I’m really not sure).

If you'd like to look at the whole page or take a look around the foodie site, Click here

 

[Edayy]

How interesting Shirley thank you for sharing

Eda

 

[BONZO]

I love Hot Cross Buns!

Do you prefer them cold, warm or toasted?

I like mine toasted with lots of butter and strawberry jam!