Whatever you call it: Easter, Eostre, Ostara, the celebrations all share a common core. Rabbits and eggs. Fertility and rebirth of the earth. I thought it would be interesting to find some really vernal-equinox-inspired dish to make for the holiday. I ended up learning a lot about Hot Cross Buns, which originally were made to symbolize the equality of night and day at this point in the calendar, and which were considered so pagan that they were banned by churches for centuries--even though Christians in England continued to eat them as paganism and new Christian traditions mixed. Finally Elizabeth I decreed that they could be eaten, but only at Easter and Christmas. Thanks, Liz. In the end, I decided not to make them. Not because of the religious controversy, but because they require yeast. Too much bother. I made a banana cream pie instead.
We decorated eggs, something the whole family can do to celebrate the season, no matter what each person believes.
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