Happy Easter

New Zealand is not an overly religious country, but does recognize important dates such as
Christmas and Easter. The Friday before and Monday after Easter are public holidays, which means a four day weekend off from work. The commercial aspect of Easter eggs and chocolate sales in
general are present, but in a lesser presence than what you find in America. Possibly one of the
biggest atmospheric differences I have perceived is seasonal. Growing up as a Christian American,
part of Easter is the idea of new life since it is spring time, which means green grass and trees,
flowers and chirping birds, and warm enough weather to start easing out of the winter wardrobe. In
New Zealand, since the seasons are backwards, Easter marks the start of wearing jackets and winter
boots instead of sandals and summer dresses.

In addition to yummy Cadbury’s eggs, bakeries sell hot cross buns at Easter-time. Fun fact about me,
the first actual song I learned to play on the piano was “Hot Cross Buns.” At that time so many years
ago, I hadn’t the faintest idea what a hot cross bun might be, but now that I have enjoyed a healthy
amount over the last week, I can tell you they are delicious. Hot cross buns are a sweet bun with
spices and raisins. The less traditional options include chocolate or banana flavors. The top of the
bun is marked with a cross, traditionally made from pastry. Historically in the UK and possibly some
other European countries (must be honest and say I did not do too much research on it!), plain
rolls/buns were order of the day from Ash Wednesday until Good Friday. Midday Good Friday when
Lent was coming to a close was time for something tastier, in the form of hot cross buns. There seem
to be several superstitions or folk tales around the buns. They seem to be considered a bit of a good
luck token such that if given to someone who is ill that person will recover or if taken on a ship
voyage, they will guard against shipwreck. Among a few others listed, my favorite was that if hung in the kitchen, they would keep fires away and ensure all other breads turned out well.

Chocolate hot cross buns

Since I am not a church musician here, I had the joy of choosing when and where I wanted to attend
an Easter service. I settled on a sunrise service because it was at the beach. It was a beautiful service,
both because of the setting and the way it was done. It was a simple, laid-back service that focused
on rejoicing. Two people were baptized, and I must say while it must be an incredible feeling to get
baptized in the sea, I also know the water was cold! A beachside service was a first for me, and one
of my favorite parts was that the Anglican priest leading the service was wearing his vestments over
a wetsuit  :)

At the start of the service it was not quite getting light, and there was a gorgeous full moon right
over the port and Mt. Paritutu. By the end of the service, we were witnessing a beautiful sunrise.
The only clouds in the sky were along the horizon, but they turned pink, orange, and yellow and the
sun came up bright and beautiful. It was a lovely way to celebrate the day. When I got home I
warmed up with a cup of tea (it was about 60 degrees, but my toes got a bit cold after an hour of
standing on wet sand), and then made French toast, yum!


I was invited to a lovely Easter dinner with friends, which was an excellent way to end the day. Hope
your Easter was as enjoyable as mine!