Easter is here! Students are out of school until April 16th and some of them have to face exams as soon as vacation ends. While we wish them all the best and know that they are all diligently studying, it is important to have moments of rest, relaxation, and even fun.
Even if you don’t have exams or you’re not a student, Easter is an important time for everyone.
Here are some things everyone enjoys during the season.
Hot Cross Buns
If you’re trying to get a hot cross bun on Good Friday then good luck! Most bakeries would have been sold out from the night before. In Trinidad and Tobago and in many other parts of the world, hot cross buns on Good Friday are a staple. The tradition dates back to the 12th century when an Anglican monk baked buns and marked them with a cross in honour of Good Friday. There is no clear reason why and when it became so popular.
Beat De Bobolee
One dying tradition on Good Friday is the beating of the “bobolee”, an effigy, symbolic of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ. Like everything in Trinidad, this has taken a complete turn of its own. People now design “bobolees” as politicians who are not favoured in the society or even as social outcasts from their specific communities.
Good Friday Meals
Fish must be cooked on Good Friday because Catholic doctrine prohibits eating fleshy meat on Good Friday. Since it commemorates the day that Christ sacrificed his flesh it would be seen as disrespectful to consume “flesh” on the anniversary of His death. Not all Trinidadians are Catholics, but this is still commonly observed in many Trini homes. Eating the seafood with “ground provision” such as yams, cassava, dasheen, and eddoes is also traditional.
Flying Kites
The tradition of making your own kite for an Easter Sunday kite flying competition has become entrenched in Trinidadian culture. The practice began as a religious event, with the kites being made to look like a cross and meant to represent Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. Traces of religious symbolism have been all but lost now, but colourful squares battling against the wind on Easter Sunday is still a comfortingly familiar sight.
Going to the Beach
It seems like Trinbagonians celebrate everything by going to the beach, for obvious reasons. The beach is awesome. Check out any of the usual coastal haunts and you will see families set up with their blankets, umbrellas, buckets and shovels, and of course with their cricket equipment. It’s a great time to relax or be social, with amazing scenery right next to you.
From all of us at Life In Trinidad, we wish you and yours a happy and holy Easter!
