The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-05
Ajacchus' Advice.
The Origin Of
Hot Cross Buns
Prom the Commercial Advertiser.

IToil lht 'onlnclClil ADVERTISER.
III OF CROSS BUNS, as an American institu.
III tion, are largely confined to New York,
"A where Englisl, tradition, however, little
the fact be known, is stronger than else
where in the entire country. With most AmcIi-
cans all knowledge of hot cross buns is en-
brlccd in the Ncndcrs cry, given without cX-
PLANTATION or comment, in that wordrenowned
classic, Mother Goosc'S Melodies:
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns
One penny, two a penny! Hot cross buns!''
In England there ..pgcr large number OF
rude iingcs, OF which the lines Just quoted form
the ending OF refrain ine yeuders cry in Cow
entry is said to be:
lone penny, two a penny, hot cross buns
Butter them and sugar them and put them in
Your nuns"
Said nuns being mouths during the rest of
the year
The cross buns Of Good Friday come 10 us
from England, being unknown on the continent
of Europe or in Scotland, neither in ireland, I'M
less in cities having close relations with Eng.
land; but the buns themselves, decorated with
the cross, outdate the English language and
civilization, ana even the Christian religion,
which the cross is popuarly supposed 10 signify.
From time without date man has found great
pleasure in wurshippng fierce gods, who had
10 be kept IN II good temper by means of sac
ri6crs, These were usually consumed by tire
aud permitted 10 ascend in the form OF smoke
to tine god, who in this shape supposed to
derive grcl. satisfaction and good from them.
These sacrifices were not only the flesh OF newly
slain animals but fruit, grain cakes or any
thing else that a hungry god might be supposed
10 RELISH
IN HONOR or ISIS.
Many thousand wears ago there gathered on
the banks oi the Nile dcvout worshippers OF Isis.
the goddess OF the Egyptians, who taught that
pcopc 10 spin and weave. The festival was
held in the spring, soon after the vcrnal cqui-
nos, tor Isis like the Ceres of the Romans, was
the goddess OF the fields. In her honor were
mixed sacrfcial cakes oI -four and honey, and
marked with the horns oi the sacred COW. Isis
herself, it will be remembered, had her iair
brow adorned with a pair OF horns
Isis was, moreover, the goddess oi the moon,
that when the Greeks adopted the festival
they made it in honor OF Diana, the goddess Of
hunting and moonlit groves, They also adopted
the cakes made OF -four aud honey and marked
with the two horns This they called a 'boun"
Tcm "bous," an ON on COW. the name, ot course,
hCiug in allusun To the horns with which the
"boun' was decorated. The Greeks, moreover,
Were very thrifty in the matter OF their sacri.
fees, and conceived that the sacrifice was quite
as effectively consumed in honol Of ihe deity, IL
eaten, as ii burned When animals we've sac,i-
feed the god received the fat and bones, the
remainder being eaten by the pious dcyotec.
Among the Hebrews the entire animal was sac.
riiced, the fat, bones, blood and kidneys being
placed on the tire, the remainder being eaten lay
the priests. This, 1t MAS explained, Was a con.
sumption ui the animal hy the deity through his
representatives, the priests, And it. was palticu.
larry forbidden that this sort of proxy should be
attempted by the common people or any sacrlhce
made expect through the priests.
In the hands Of the baker the slashes repre-