Hot Cross Buns
"They’ll not grow mouldy like the common bread." Words from a rhyme in 1733.
Key words
- Communion: a Christian ceremony based on Jesus' last meal with his disciples
For thousands of years, Christians have taken communion by eating a small piece of bread and drinking a sip of wine.
- Last supper: the meal that Jesus Christ ate with his friends the night before he died
The Last Supper occurred on the Jewish festival of Passover.
- Mass: a religious ceremony in some Christian Churches based on Jesus' last meal with his disciples
Mass is the central act of worship in the Roman Catholic Church.
- Ailment: an illness
Respiratory ailments become more common in winter.
- Walk of life: referring to different types of jobs and different levels of society
People from all walks of life - including lawyers, teachers, plumbers and hairdressers - have joined.
Read the article to find the answers
- When was the name 'hot cross bun' first used?
- What do many Christians believe the bread eaten at communion is miraculously transformed into?
- What did some people believe the bread baked on Good Friday had?
- Who likes to eat hot cross buns today?
Hot Cross Buns
In England, there's a centuries-old tradition of baking special buns with a cross on them. These are known as hot cross buns. The earliest mention of hot cross buns dates back to 1733, when they were made and eaten as a treat at Easter, but today hot cross buns can be found on supermarket shelves as early as January.
Communion / Eucharist
When England changed from a Catholic to a Protestant country, many Christians believed that the bread eaten at Communion was miraculously transformed into the actual body of Christ. Jesus said:
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger."