A response to Widening our Methodist family in Windsor
Amen Vicci, and don’t forget the Hot Cross Bun. For our service of Easter Praise with Holy Communion this morning – The Interesting Story of the Hot Cross Bun
“Hot Cross Buns!
Hot Cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns!
If you haven’t got a daughter, give them to your sons.
One a penny, two a penny Hot Cross Buns!”
Nations, cultures, and religions include bread as an integral component of religious and secular observances. The breads are typically enriched and may contain dairy, eggs, sweeteners, and inclusions. Hot cross buns have been synonymous with Easter celebrations since they appeared in 12th century England.
In the Middle Ages, home bakers marked their loaves with crosses before baking. They believed the cross would ensure a successful bake, warding off the evil spirits that inhibit the bread from rising. This superstition gradually faded, except for marking Good Friday loaves and hot cross buns, only to be replaced by another one.
This time the loaves and buns were hung from the ceiling like sausages. It was believed that the bread would never mold and would provide protection against evil spirits and illness until the following Good Friday when the loaves and buns would be replaced. In the event of illness, a portion of bread could be removed from its string and crushed to a powder, which was incorporated into water for therapeutic effect.
During the same period, Jews hung bread and a container of water from the ceiling to ward off cholera. They believed its power was so strong that one loaf in one house would protect the community. To avoid detection, early Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ at the same time of year as the pagan Spring celebration.
It was in the 12th century that an English monk decorated his freshly baked buns with a cross on Good Friday, also known as the Day of the Cross. The custom gained traction, and over the years, fruits and precious spices were included to represent health and prosperity.
Spiced buns were banned when the English broke ties with the Catholic Church in the 16th century. However, by 1592, Queen Elizabeth I relented and granted permission for commercial bakers to produce the buns for funerals, Christmas, and Easter. Otherwise, they could be baked in homes. The bakers argued that a cross cut into a loaf or bun induced a more pronounced rise in the oven: an axiom then, and an axiom now.
By the early 19th century, the Bun House of Chelsea, famous for Chelsea buns, was the largest producer of hot cross buns. It remained so for over a century until the building was demolished. Once an English specialty, the buns’ popularity has become a seasonal staple around the world and is included in Le Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie as one of the Breads of the World. BREAD – the staff of life.
However, I should like you to delve a little deeper into the make-up of our hot cross buns.
The bun, as was mentioned earlier is BREAD, but containing spices and dried fruit; raisins, currants, sultanas, sometimes peel.
A hot cross bun is a spiced bun, usually containing small pieces of raisins and marked with a cross on the top, which has been traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, India, Pakistan, Malta, United States and the Commonwealth Caribbean. They’re available all year round in some countries, including the UK. We all knew that, didn’t we?
But think on
The bun marks the end of the season of Lent and different elements of the hot cross bun each have a specific meaning;
the cross representing the crucifixion of Jesus,
the spices inside signifying the spices used to embalm him
and sometimes also orange peel reflecting the bitterness of his time on the cross.
And so as we eat our hot cross buns, let us do so reflecting on these elements of our sustenance which will be the BREAD of our Holy Communion today.