Pancake Day, chocolates, rabbits, Easter egg hunts and hot cross buns… these are the things we usually associate with Easter. But what is their significance, and what do Londoners do to commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ?
There are several notable dates in the calendar before Easter that are related to the holiday. Once upon a time cock fighting was a popular pastime on Shrove Tuesday but thankfully it was outlawed in 1835, and now we have the far more salubrious activity of making pancakes. Pancake Day takes place every year on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins and exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday. The date varies each year as it follows the lunar calendar (as opposed to the 12 month solar calendar), but Shrove Tuesday always falls somewhere between the 3rd of February and the 9th of March. As Lent is the period of abstinence when people give up indulgent foods, Pancake Day was typically the day when butter, sugar and eggs were used up. The idea of giving things up for Lent stems from Jesus’ time in the desert, hence it being 40 days. It’s also a way for Christians to absolve themselves of his crucifixion. Nowadays Pancake Day is celebrated regardless of what people may have in their cupboards, and many pubs and restaurants have got in on the act too. There are also pancake races, where participants race each other to the finishing line while simultaneously tossing pancakes in frying pans a set number of times, like in the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race.
The next day is Ash Wednesday, so-called because in Christianity the ashes are symbolic of repentance. In the past people attended church on this day, and a mark made from ash in the shape of the cross was placed on their foreheads to signify that they were about to start fasting for Lent (fortunately it’s not obligatory to wear the cross for the entire 40 days). Going to church is of course far less common nowadays, but London’s main places of worship like Westminster Abbey usually have choirs performing during Holy Week, which starts the week before Easter.
\n\nEggs are a symbol of life in most cultures, and in this context they commemorate Jesus’ resurrection. But where do painted eggs come from, and why do parents hide chocolate eggs in their gardens for their children to find in Easter egg hunts? The most well-known myth is the Anglo Saxon legend where goddess Eostre discovered an injured bird and turned it into a hare so that it would survive the long cold winter. Despite its metamorphosis the hare could still lay eggs, and as a thank you to the goddess it would paint them and leave them as a present for her every spring. The hare also inspired the idea of Easter bunnies.
For reasons known only to themselves, the population of 16th century Britain believed hot cross buns had magical properties; it was also widely believed that a hot cross bun baked on this day would never go mouldy. Being the superstitious lot they were, Queen Elizabeth ended up banning them (along with all other spiced breads and cakes) although they were allowed at funerals and Easter Friday. It is thought that this is where the tradition of baking hot cross buns on Good Friday comes from. Each year, at St. Bartholomew-the-Great in Smithfield, hot cross buns are given to widows and children by the Butterworth Charity. Another annual ritual takes place at the Widow’s Son pub in Bromley-by-Bow, where members of the Royal Navy hang buns above the bar in honour of those who lost their lives at sea. This started some 150 years ago, when a widow who lived on the site of the pub baked a hot cross bun for her son, who was due to return home from maritime duties on Good Friday. He never made it sadly, but his mother would bake a bun every year on the same day in the hope that he’d be back.
Easter Sunday is officially the first day after Lent. Eggs, cakes, chocolates, and generally all food given up during Lent are consumed. Lunch is usually a roast (check out our best places for a Sunday roast here).
\n\nThere has never been much religious significance to Easter Monday, but plenty of events take place. Every year there is a London Harness Horse Parade, with horses marching from Kings Cross and Victoria to Three Bridges and Hayward Heath in Sussex. Carriages and vehicles from the past - like horse-drawn fire engines for instance - form part of the show, which was founded in 1885. The Easter Skate Eggstravanza takes place over several days in Hyde Park. Skate in a bunny costume or take part in a treasure hunt; the events have little to do with the original meaning of Easter but are tongue-in-cheek and fun for skaters of all abilities. The famous Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge also happens near or during Easter each year.
There are also a lot of superstitions tied in with Easter. A child born on Good Friday and baptised on Easter Sunday is said to have healing powers, and eggs laid on Good Friday will never rot. More bizarre is the belief that getting your hair cut on Good Friday will stop you from getting tooth ache for the rest of the year. If anyone tests out these theories successfully, do let us know.
