Hot Cross Buns in England's Easter Tradition

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"WM. Wheat Cakes and Puddings,"
56.58087

It's almost Easter, and my culinary standards must be slipping.  Instead of imagining the perfect holiday menu, I find myself lingering on thoughts of marshmallow Peeps, chocolate bunnies, Cadbury eggs, jelly beans, and Hershey's kisses wrapped in pastel foils. Not the stuff of a woman of "taste."  And yet, I have a plan..... On Good Friday morning, I am going to my local bakery, where I will stand outside the front door, waiting for it to open.  When it does, I will lean forward, to catch the first whiff.  My nose will absolutely quiver as a warm fragrance wafts out to embrace me, and I will be drawn inexorably in, by the aroma of hot cross buns.Dept 56, W.M. Wheat Cakes & Puddings

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"Seton Morris Spice Merchant Gift Set"
56.58308

What are Hot Cross Buns?  These are small sweet and spicy bread buns that have been made with yeast, so they will rise.  Hot cross buns typically contain spices such as coriander, cinnamon, caraway seeds, and mace, along with dried fruits like currants, lemon peel, raisins, or sultanas.  Before baking, the buns are first brushed with beaten egg or a sugary glaze, which is why they appear shiny.  Then a sharp knife is used to cut intersecting lines in the form of a cross on top of the bun.  Frequently, but not always, this cross is filled with frosting after baking.Dept. 56 - "Seton Morris Spice Merchant Gift Set

Hot cross buns from
Marks and Spencer.
Picture:  Andrew Twort

Early History of Hot Cross Buns There is much speculation as to the origin of hot cross buns.  They may be derived from a custom in Saxon England, when an ox was sacrificed to the goddess Eastre, who may have been a goddess of dawn or spring or fertility.  The cross would have symbolized the crossed horns of the ox, and in fact, the word 'bun' is probably derived from the Saxon word for 'sacred ox,' which is 'boun.'

Another version of the story is that the bun is divided into four parts, to commemorate the four phases of the moon.  And the relationship to Easter.....?  Well, the lunar calendar is used to determine the date that Easter is to be celebrated each year.  Easter always falls during a specific time or phase, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.  It is actually more complicated than this,  in part because the Roman churches use a Gregorian calendar and the Eastern Orthodox use a Julian calendar to calculate Easter.  Hence the different churches celebrate Easter on different days.

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"St. Luke's Church," 808858

Symbolism of Hot Cross Buns Today hot cross buns are firmly associated with the story of Easter.  Steve Jenkins, spokesman for the the Church of England, said, "You have got the bread, as per the communion, you have got the spices that represent the spices Jesus was wrapped in in the tomb, and you have got the cross.  They are fairly full of Christian symbolism." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8598312.stm

Dept 56, Dickens' Village,
"Windsor Castle," 56.58721.
One of Elizabeth I's residences.

Elizabeth I's Influence on Hot Cross Buns!  In the time of Elizabeth I, hot cross buns were eaten year-round.  During the 16th century, however, religious tension between Catholics and Protestants ran high.  Elizabeth, a Protestant, feared that the symbolism of hot cross buns was a little too 'Papist.' In 1592 she signed an edict forbidding the sale of "any spice cakes, buns, biscuits, or other spice bread except it be at burials, on Friday before Easter or at Christmas."  Yes, the Queen of England feared the influence of a sweet bun.  Anyway, from that time on, the relationship between Good Friday and hot cross buns was sealed by law.   www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8451569/Hot-cross-buns-Warm-soft-and-best-with-butter.html

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"Boz's Books,"  8055113

Charles Dickens on Hot Cross Buns  Our very own Villager, Charles John Huffam (Boz) Dickens wrote about Easter and then hot cross buns in Vol. 64 of "All the Year Round:"

"Good Friday, as the presumed anniversary of the Crucifixion of our lord, has for centuries been observed with the greatest solemnity throughout the civilized world....Good Friday probably derived its name from God's Friday, though by our Saxon Ancestors it was known as long Friday, on account of the length of the fastings and offices ordained by the primitive Church...."Department 56 Dickens Village Boz's Books

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"Chelsea Market Fruit Monger
& Cart," 56.58130

Dickens goes on to discuss the brisk sale of hot cross buns at Chelsea's market:

"For a century and a half Chelsea was famous for its special buns, as much as two hundred and fifty pounds having been taken on one Good Friday morning at the Chelsea Bun House.  On Good Friday morning, 1839, nearly a quarter of a million buns were made and sold."  HERITAGE VILLAGE COLLECTION CHELSEA MARKET FRUIT MONGER & CART

www.books.google.com/books?id=TNkRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA370&lpg=PA370&dq=charles+dickens+hot+cross+buns&source=bl&ots=M4W8wRHbsQ&sig=OnH9_RLyXMQMvKffKY_FJiRpw8U&hl=en&ei=rgStTaLMIMrjiAKq4ti-DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false 

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"Begging for Soul Cakes," 56.58412

Soul Cakes Hot cross buns were normally served during Easter, but a virtually identical bun is called a soul cake, and it was served on All Souls Day, Nov. 2.


www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8451569/Hot-cross-buns-Warm-soft-and-best-with-butter.html

Dept 56, Dickens Village,
"Golden Swan Bakery, Ann. Edition"
805517

Hot Cross Buns in Contemporary England  Today hot cross buns are among the most popular pastries in England.  Over 114 million hot cross buns are sold there each year.  Between January and Easter, 8 million packs, or 32 million buns, are sold at Marks and Spencer stores alone.  This equals 28% of the total country's consumption during the Easter season.Department 56 Dickens Village Golden Swan Baker - Anniversary Edition
www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8451569/Hot-cross-buns-Warm-soft-and-best-with-butter.html

Characters in My Christmas Village

Every year in December, amid the shopping and wrapping, cooking and cleaning, and entertaining and being entertained, I am careful to carve out one Saturday morning, just after Thanksgiving.  Latte in hand, I settle into our living room early in the morning.  I carefully slit open the tape of one of my Christmas boxes, and then, with the pop and sparkle of a Disney parade, a gaggle of eccentric and lovable friends march back into my life. One by one I greet them as they puff out of their boxes and clamor up into my Dickens Village.

Dept 56, Town Crier & Chimney Sweep,
56.55697

First, there is Village Mayor Major Minor, who has a proclivity to make proclamations in the town green, and while he is a bit pompous, on rare occasions he has something important to say.  I do question whether the frequency of his insight rises to the level of intent, or merely reflects the random occurrence of luck.  Nearby, coming out of White Horse Bakery, is Owner Milly Flower, cradling a batch of Banbury Cross buns in her apron.  Milly is the salt of the earth, overworked, overwrought, and kind and generous to the core.  She is searching frantically for the Banbury Cross recipe to share with you.

Dept 56, A Christmas Beginning,
56.58568

Village Arborist, Hefner Pine, shoulders the responsibility to cut and deliver Christmas trees to every family in the Village, and he does it with the brilliance, efficiency, and understanding incumbent on one who holds a Sierra Club card in his back pocket.  Mr. Ashley Brush, the local Chimney Sweep is elderly and bent, and his job is always difficult.  He is gruff, as one would expect from someone in such sooty clothes who works many hours, and yet, it is Mr. Brush who feeds the village cats, and it is Mr. Brush who is the favorite among the children.  There are many more of these characters, to whom I will introduce you in the course of this blog.  I will also provide you histories of some of the interesting aspects of Victorian culture, so you can better understand these friends.

Over the years, as I executed my annual construction of an English Victorian village, I began to realize the power I was wielding. I am like Plato writing The Republic, Thomas More envisioning Utopia, Thoreau re-imagining Walden Pond.  I may make my village whatever I want, for whomever I wish to invite.  If I want a stream, I shall create water.  If I want a railroad to link my town with the outside world, I shall install a track.  If I want my villagers to nibble Banbury Cross buns, I shall invite Milly Flower to make them.  If I want Dr. Watts to have broadband access, Dr. Watts shall have cable.

Dept 56, Constables
56.55794

Furthermore, I decided that my Dickens Village shall have no catastrophes, like fires or earthquakes, and therefore no Fire Station and no firefighters are necessary …  Likewise, the atmosphere of my village can sustain no citizens with criminal proclivities; therefore I do not require a police station or policemen.  Oh, yes, Sheriff Dudley Dunnit is on staff, but his services are mostly to organize heavy snowfall removal, or to help Milly Flower recover her spilled buns…Dudley is on the right in the picture, along with his dog Ferocious.  The other two gents are retired now, living on big pensions, causing alot of talk in the village right now.

Dept 56, Seton Morris Spice Merchant
56.58308

This year it occurred to me that the animals of the village deserve a Merry Christmas also, and therefore the proprieter of Giggleswick Mutton and Ham went south for better weather, though my own Christmas dinner did feature Chutney Chicken, prepared with spices from Seton Morris, Spice Merchant.  

I hope you come on a visit with me and my cast of characters regularly.  Comments and ideas, in the spirit of Christmas, are most welcome on this blog.  Grinches may be deleted.  Please mark the blog site as a “favorite” so it is easy for you to find: www.christmasvillagefun@blogspot.com

Please email me if you would like to chat about anything Christmas, Village, or historical at my email:

christmasvillagefun@gmail.com