Happy Easter!

“Because it’s Easter. That’s an expression that indicates celebration. Where why do we eat what we eat at Easter? The supermarkets are full of all kinds of delicious things and Easter is one of the most famous holidays in our Western world. We celebrate it with Easter bread, Matzes, braided bread, eggs and lots of chocolate. Where do all these dishes come from? Many, like the Easter feast, have religious origins. Easter has two religious festivals as its origins: the Jewish Passover and the Christian Easter.

Matzes

Hollandia’s matzes found in the supermarket have a direct relationship to the Jewish Passover where the exodus from Egypt is celebrated.The Jewish people lived in slavery under the Egyptians. On the night before the exodus from Egypt, thin, flat breads were baked from unrisen dough: Matzas. That’s where the Matzes derive from. We know them as round, but often they were square. The Hollandia factory was once established to provide Matze’s for the rabbis in the Netherlands. All of Holandia’s Matze’s are Kosher. In the ten weeks before Passover, the matzes are wrapped in green packaging to indicate that they were made under the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate.

Braid bread or Challah

Braided bread or Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread. It is made of 12 strands of dough which refers to the intertwining of the 12 tribes of Judah, which is the basis of the Jewish people. It is made with an enriched dough . It has oil, egg and sugar or honey added to it: thus it resembles a brioche dough. And that brings us back to the Easter bread:

Easter Bread

Christians celebrate the death (Good Friday) and resurrection of Jesus (Easter Sunday) at Easter. Schools used to make branches on which loaves of bread were placed: referring to Jesus’ statement to Peter “before the cock crows you will have said three times that you do not know me”. Before Easter, Catholic Christians have a period of forty days of fasting. At the end of the Lenten fast, Easter is celebrated. An enriched dough ( just like the Challah) and rich ingredients such as raisins, currants, sukade orange chips and spice are a sign of the feast that at Easter then dawns after Lent. That’s where our Easter bread comes from.

But then where did the symbol of eggs and the Easter bunny come from? That is a skillful blend of Germanic festivals with Christianity, just like the Christmas tree. Easter is always celebrated in spring. And the most striking thing about spring is that there are chicks and young hares. And voilá: there is the symbolism we see with Easter.

On behalf of NewArmstrong: happy Easter!