Of Spooky Caribbean Easter Traditions And Hot Cross Buns
Putting the final touch on my freshly made hot cross buns.
There was a time when I could not reflect on my childhood Easter celebrations in Barbados without getting the chills. Of course, there are many joyful memories too. Still, there’s a specific recollection of an Easter tradition in the Caribbean that is beyond spooky. As a little girl, my Sundays were spent at church and while I don’t recall the exact age at which I first heard about The Passion of the Christ, I know that for many years whenever Easter came around, I cried when the story was retold. It was hard to fathom such suffering. Obedient to my Sunday school lessons, I accepted from early on, that I had to be very special for someone to die for me.
Bajans like to boast that we have a church on almost every corner and given our predominantly Christian nation, Easter is indeed a most hallowed occasion. As thousands of congregants are reminded of the crucifixion, we traditionally adhere to certain observances like not going go the beach on Good Friday (due to a belief of higher chances of drowning); avoiding meat on the day, eating fish instead; wearing black to Good Friday service and white to church on Easter Sunday; and kite flying for both children and adults. But, clearly, those aren’t the things that evoked fear in me. Read more…
