Easter is coming. About Boxing Day, if my memory is correct, Hot Cross Buns were back on sale, and now the Supermarkets are full of Easter Bunnies and Easter Eggs. And when Good Friday comes, the queues for fresh fish will be enormous.
I am not sure about bunnies, no Christian symbolism there, but with the other treats, their origins represent Christian symbols. Plain fare for people during Lent are represented by the buns, and we are reminded of this by the cross marked on each one, recalling the death of Jesus Christ on a cross.
The long wait for fresh fish on Good Friday carries on the Lenten Fast. Many people still follow the tradition of always abstaining from meat on each Friday of the year, and most especially during the 40 days of Lent and especially on Good Friday.
Chocolate in its many forms is very central as we celebrate Easter Day, following the fasts of Lent many during Lent leading up to Good Friday and Easter Day. Having chocolate Hot Cross Buns requires a bit of confusion of ideas of the doing without rich food in Lent and celebrating with chocolate on Easter Day!
Of course, Easter Eggs have a long tradition of Christians using them on Easter Day to celebrate New Life as we recall Jesus Christ rising from dead. Indeed in many cultures the eggs are actual hen eggs beautifully decorated.
I may fuss a bit about symbols and what they mean, but what did really take my breath away, was when visiting our family who lived in China at that time. There amongst a whole wall of Christmas decorations, perfect to purchase to decorate your Christmas Tree, was a cross with Santa affixed! Then again, China has only a very small number of Christians, and as a society would not be aware of the implications of Santa on a cross!
But you know, we live in a society in which science and factual information is central to our understanding of the world. It is good to remind ourselves that language can be used in many other ways as well: in love, poetry, prose, music, worship for example. Symbols are central we speak of, and try to understand, the divine. Words and facts are not enough. Which is why we use so much music, so many symbols, like candles to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world, to try to convey our meaning of which are beyond simple words.
We are fortunate to live in a country where churches abound and we have so many beautiful ones around us in Clarence Town, Dungog, and surrounding towns. Even if you are not a regular churchgoer, you may like to go to Church at Easter, to celebrate the faith all these symbols relate to: Jesus Christ, God with us, who shows us how to live. You can find church times from your local denomination. I know you will find a warm welcome wherever you go. Easter Blessings,
The Rev’d Beatrice Pate
Locum Priest at Dungog Anglican Parish
