September 11 is National Hot Cross Buns Day! This is a sweet, spiced bun adorned with a cross. They are a quintessential Easter food but the National Day is in September. Go figure. There are many legends about these buns and even a few superstitions. I am only going to discuss a few of the most popular of these.

Hot Cross Buns are inextricably linked to Easter and to Christianity. In reality, they probably have pre-Christian origins. ‘Cross Buns’ were baked to celebrate Eostre, a Germanic Goddess of Fertility, which Easter is said to be named from. Eostre was a voluptuous blonde maiden, always depicted surrounded by birds, bunnies and other baby animals, as well as spring flowers. Cross Buns were baked for the spring festival to celebrate this Goddess. The four quarters of the cross on top of each bun were said to represent the moon’s phases, while the cross itself symbolized rebirth after winter.

The Christian culture is known for taking the holidays of other beliefs, especially pagan and those in honor of other gods, and making them their own. According to the story, an Anglican monk baked these same buns in honor of Good Friday. Over time, they gained popularity and eventually became a symbol of Easter weekend. In the Christian culture, Hot Cross Buns are eaten every Good Friday. They are symbolic of this significant day, when Jesus was crucified. The cross here represents the cross Christ died on. The spices in hot cross buns are said to represent the spices used to embalm Christ after his death.

This week’s recipes are a little more time consuming than normal so plan accordingly. I used 3 different versions so you can choose which you want to use. Make your grocery list and meet me in the kitchen for Hot Cross Deliciousness!