Guest Author - Caroline Mazzara

Easter in Scotland is celebrated much like the rest of the world. There are the traditional Easter Feasts and church on Easter Sunday and the days leading up to Pasch (Easter) or Càisg (in Scottish Gaelic). In olden days there were those who lit huge fires to celebrate the beginning of spring and the end of winter.

Since Easter is never the same date each year, how does one know when it falls. Easter, like the Passover, follows the Jewish lunar calendar and thus it fall on the first Sunday after the full moon, following the Spring Equinox. There is an old Scots rhyme that I was taught as a child that goes like this:

The Scottish Version

First comes Candlemass,
Syne the new mune;
The neist Tyseday aifter that
Is aye Fester Een.
That mune oot
An the neist mune fou,
The neist mune aifter that
Is aye Pasch true.

The EnglishTranslation is

First comes 2 February
And after that the new moon,
The First Tuesday after that
Is Shrove Tuesday.
That moon passes,
And the next full moon,
On the first Sunday after that
Is Easter by rights.


Before you ask what does it mean in plain English, it took a lot of research. I never really knew what it meant and it was interesting finding out that you can actually predict Easter if you look at the lunar calendar. So here’s how it goes:

The first line “First come 2 February” relates to “Candelmass” or the period of 40 days in which a new mother, in this case Mary, the Mother of the Christ Child, was “unpure” and on the 40th day she went to the temple for purification which for Mary was the 2nd of February. This is also called the “Purification of the Blessed Virgin” and a mass was celebrated with the lighting of candles to symbolize purification.

The next line reads “And after the New Moon” to which you look on the lunar calendar for the new moon. Then third and fourth lines read “The first Tuesday after that is Shrove Tuesday“. Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins.

The last four lines are pretty self-explanatory. Then the next full moon marks the ascent to Easter, which is the first Sunday after that full moon. Given that information this means that Easter usually is between March 22nd and April 25th.

Another Scottish tradition involving the Easter Season is Maundy Thursday. It is also called “Holy Thursday”. It is to commemorate the day when Christ washed the feet of His disciples. Maundy Thursday custom dates back to the Middle Ages. It is still practiced by the Queen who gives 'Maundy money', to both men and women, usually the poor, one coin for each year of the Queens age. Maundy Thursday was also known as "Là Brochain Mhòire", 'the day of the Big Porridge'. It is when produce from the land, usually porridge, was poured into the sea while reciting a prayer for seaweed (or Kelp) to fertilize the land. Kelp or seaweed was a big industry in Scotland prior to the 1700’s.

The Friday before Easter is Good Friday, or Di-haoine na Ceusa (I believe that is how it is written in Scottish Gaelic) was also known as Crucifixion Friday. In the 1800’s it was believed that no iron spade or plough should be put in the ground. It was also tradition that the band from the spinning wheel should be removed so it could not be used to bind Christ's hands and feet. You will still find people today that will not work on Good Friday and there are Church services across the land marking the day of Christ’s Crucifixion.

On the Monday after Easter there is the tradition of Easter Egg Rolling. This day is commonly known as Easter Monday. It is said that the custom of Easter Egg Rolling comes from the rolling of the stone from Christ's tomb. The eggs were hard-boiled in onionskins or tea to decorate them, taken to a the nearest hillside where the children rolled the eggs down the hills all the while trying not to break them.

Lastly another tradition in Scotland involving Easter is the 'hot cross buns', which are baked and contain spices and fruit. These buns are then “glazed” with white pastry cross. They have been a symbol of Good Friday and in the past were made fresh and served on Good Friday and throughout the weekend.

Well I hope you all enjoy the Easter Season and eat plenty of Hot Cross Buns. I will be providing a recipe soon.

Happy Easter to you all and your families from the Mazzara Family.