The custom was, in fact, pra versal, and the early Church adroitly ed the pagan practice, grafting it oj Eucharist. The boun with its Greek cross became akin to the Eucharistic bread or cross-marked wafers mentioned in St Chrysostom's Liturgy. In the medieval Church, buns made from the dough for the consecrated Host were distributed to the communicants after Mass on Easter Sunday.
In France and other countries, such blesmo sed bread is still given in the churches to communi its who have a fore they can break their The Holy Eucharist in the Greek Church has a cross printed on it.
The English Hot Cross Bun In England there seems to have earl been a disposition on the part of the bakers to imitate the Church, and they did a good trade in buns and cakes stamped with a Cross, for as far back as 1252 the practice min was forbidden by Royal proclamation. But this seems to have had little effect.
In English country districts many superstations still cling round hot cross buns. It is a common belief that one bun should be kept for luck's sake to the following Good Friday. In Dorsetshire it is thought that a cross-loaf baked on that day and hung over the chimney piece prevents the bread baked in the house during the year from going "stringy."
Tomorrow night in every little village bakehouse in England they will be mixing the hot cross buns, to be delivered on Good Friday morning with the morning bread and eaten hot and buttered for breakfast and later again for tea. Because they only appear once a year they somehow taste peculiarly good, Russian "Holy Night"
This year Russian Easter coincides with that of the Western Church. On Easter Eve, or Holy Night, everyone from the biggest to the smallest goes to church. At 11 p.m. on Saturday Shanghai's Russian churches will be filled to overflowing. Usually there are crowds standing outside. The men wear formal clothes, the women dress in white.
The churches are flooded with light. 1,500 lamps have been used for the Cathedral, and from its main cupola will shine a huge (4499944999 994499994 49999999999
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