Easter– The word Easter derives from the word Eostre, the name of the pagan goddess of spring and fertility.

Easter Bunny – Eostre (the goddess of spring) is said to have found a bird dying from the cold and she turned it into a rabbit to keep it warm but it still laid eggs like a bird. The tale says that the bunny decorated the eggs it laid and gave them back to Eostre as a sign of its loyalty and love. When the German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s they brought the tradition of an egg laying bunny over with them, and the children decorated nests and filled them with coloured eggs.

Easter Eggs – Eggs, which are an ancient sign of new life, have also been associated with pagan festivals for spring. Easter eggs are said to represent the emergence of Jesus from the tomb and his resurrection. Some say Mary Magdalene was holding a plain egg when she was proclaiming the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to the emperor. The emperor had said that Jesus rising from the dead was as likely as the egg turning red, whereupon the egg turned bright red.

Hot Cross Buns – Hot cross buns are surrounded by many superstitions, one of them being that sailors would take hot cross buns baked on Good Friday on voyages with them to prevent shipwrecks. There is a pub built in 1848 on the site of an old widow’s cottage in Bow, East London aptly named The Widows Pub where a member of the Royal Navy adds a hot cross bun to a net above the bar every year. The tradition dates back to the 19^th Century when a widow lived in the cottage with her only son. When he left to become a sailor, she promised to bake a hot cross bun and keep it for him until his safe return. Although he drowned at sea, the widow refused to give up hope and she continued to bake him a bun every year, preserving the buns for his return. The annual tradition continues today in remembrance of the widow and her son and of the link between land and sea.

Easter Around the World USA The White House Easter Egg Roll is a tradition that dates back to 1878. Originally, young children would flock to Capitol Hill, Washington DC on Easter Monday to roll eggs and have a day of fun and activities. Members of Congress grew tired of the growing crowds and passed an Act of Congress prohibiting egg rolling on Capitol grounds. The young children approached President Hayes and asked if they could roll eggs in his backyard and nearly every year since 1878 children have been invited to roll eggs on the White House lawn. Poland Smingus-Dyngus is a Polish tradition of pouring water on one another on Easter Monday, its origin dating to the baptism of Polish Prince Mieszko in 966AD. The legend was traditionally celebrated by boys throwing water over girls and hitting them with twigs! The girls could pay a ransom of painted eggs (regarded as a magical charm that would bring a good harvest and healthy relationship) and hopefully save themselves from a soaking. Nowadays, it is celebrated by boys trying to drench each other any way they can. Corfu On the morning of Holy Saturday at 11 o’clock the bells announce the morning Resurrection and Corfoit people throw ceramic pots off window ledges and balconies. The custom may follow the Venetian tradition of throwing out old objects from their windows on New Years Day, but a more likely explanation is that they were following the Ancient Greeks who made loud noises to wake up Persephone, the goddess of spring and accelerate the coming of spring.   The S4B Team hope you have enjoyed our brief look at Easter and its traditions. We are a team of Chartered Accountants in Maidenhead who can advise you on all your tax and tax planning issues. Send our team an email at [email protected] or call us on 01628 623444 to see how we can help you.