Easter Traditions

 EASTER EGGS

Easter Eggs: Image by https://pixabay.com/users/Couleur-

The tradition of Easter eggs came from the fact that people did not eat eggs during Lent.  These were saved up and became part of the Easter celebrations. . Decorating the eggs was achieved by first blowing out the contents, but making a small hole at the end of each egg, and then blowing through the contents into a bowl.  The eggs were then decorated according to taste, but most often painted.

The eggs were used in lots of different ways during Eastertide including using the raw egg as shampoo, and later adding it to the shampoo to bring out an excellent shine in the hair and making it healthy.  I have used this suggestion myself and although it is messier than shampoo, it does achieve an excellent shine.

A polish tradition is to take the decorated basket of eggs and other Easter breakfast foods to be blessed by the priest on Holy Saturday.and Easter Sunday.

The Easter egg hunt is a very old custom, and obviously related to the simple reality of free range hens tending to lay their eggs in all sorts of different places.There is also a Christian link in the notion of Mary Magdalen in the garden looking for Christ 'They have taken my Lord, and I know not were to find him'.

EASTER MENU

The traditional dish for Easter Sunday lunch is Roast Lamb, into which spears of rosemary have been stuck. Rosemary is identified with the 'bitter herbs' mentioned in the book of Exodus as part of the Passover meal.

The traditional dessert was Simmel cake associated with Laudate/Mothering Sunday.

In more recent times, people have taken to serving fish/salmon as the traditional Easter meal.   I much prefer Roast Lamb myself.

In Australia, pavlova and/or cheesecake became a traditional dessert, although with people being more health conscious, other alternatives such as fruit salad or Easter biscuits with coffee are served.