Cross buns Tradition, March 30, 2026 320 words

I look forward to the tradition of cross buns available during Holy Week, before Easter. My local bakery has the confection starting this past Friday. The confection is a rounded spicy bun with raisins and other dried fruits in the dough. The top of the bun has either a cross indentation or a white frosting of the cross image.
This pastry has a long history. Spiced breads were baked in Greece, Rome, and Egypt. The small spiced cakes were offerings to the Goddess Isis for prosperity. Honey cakes were offered in Roman religious ceremonies to ask for favors and blessings. The Greek spice cakes were a part of religious offerings to Zeus and other Gods and Goddesses. The Greek and Roman cakes were often decorated with the image of a cross to honor the lunar phases as important times in the agricultural society. They were offered to deities in the spring to ensure a good growing season.
In 1361, a monk in England baked the spiced buns to feed the poor on Good Friday. They marked the end of Lent and the start of the Easter celebration. The spices and fruit in cross buns symbolize the bitter death and the spices used in the burial of Jesus. It is a special way to remember the Crucifixion. Often, families will prepare the treat together on Good Friday.
I purchased mine at the local bakery. I recalled a nursery rhyme, “Hot Cross Buns.” (see below). Street vendor’s cry of hot cross buns was popularized in the 1700s and printed in the London Chronicle in 1767. Many countries like England enjoy cross buns all year.
What are your traditions for the end of Lent and the start of spring?
*** Traditional nursery rhyme
Hot cross buns,
hot cross buns,
one a penny,
two a penny,
hot cross buns,
If you have no daughters.
Give them to your sons.
carolaspot@aol.com
copyrighted 3/30/26