Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian festival, the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This year, Good Friday falls on the 21st March, and Easter Sunday on 23rd March. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday is the high point of the Christian year. (And we all get a four-day holiday, including Bank Holiday Monday!)
Hot Cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Easter day is also associated with special foods: boiled eggs are traditionally served at breakfast, then Easter cards and gifts - especially chocolate Easter eggs! - are exchanged, while the traditional main meal on Easter Day is roast lamb...
Eggs symbolise new life to Christians, and the eternal cycle of the seasons to pagans; eggs or the oval have been a symbol of continuing life and resurrection since pre-Christian Spring celebrations.
Easter usually coincides with the vernal or Spring equinox; this year the vernal equinox falls on 20th March. This officially marks the beginning of Spring. The vernal equinox is the point at which the sun crosses the celestial equator. On that day the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. Everywhere on the planet will experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The sun begins to win out over the dark of winter - it is a time of joy, fertility, new life, a celebration of the abundance of nature; winter is over!

However, modern mass meat-production has turned Easter into yet another festival of carnage. This is celebrated, ironically, with the images of cute Spring lambs and fluffy chicks, but is just another marketing strategy for the livestock industry. The livestock industry wants us to buy their products and so conceals from us the reality of factory-farming and the slaughter of millions of innocent young lives.

The best way that you can celebrate Easter or Spring and new life this year is by not buying or using any animal products - or even better, celebrate the wonders of nature and go vegan! Spring vegetables are here!
You can buy vegan chocolate eggs, both mini and boxed large versions, and you can buy hot cross buns which are suitable for vegans at most supermarkets - or you could make your own special hot cross buns...

vegan hot cross bun recipe (from the Vegan Village web-site)
Ingredients:
500g strong white flour; ¼ tsp salt; 2 heaped tsp ground mixed spice; 1 heaped tsp cinnamon; 14g easy-blend dried yeast; 50g caster sugar; grated rind of 1 lemon; 175g raisins; 175g mixed peel; 75g soya margarine; 225ml soya milk; pastry for crosses; 1oz caster sugar
Method:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt the soya margarine and mix with the soya milk, then add to the flour mixture to make a dough.
Knead on a lightly-floured board for 10 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for up to 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and give 4 or 5 kneads to knock out most of the air. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape them into balls.
Place on a baking tray lightly dusted with flour and flatten slightly. Cover with the tea towel and leave for 45 minutes.
To make the crosses, roll some pastry out and cut out some long narrow strips. Lay them over the buns in cross shapes, and then brush the buns with soya milk.
Bake for 20 minutes in a moderately warm oven (approx 160°c) until golden.
Meanwhile dissolve the caster sugar in 2 tbsp soya milk. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them generously with the sugar glaze. Cool on a wire rack. Serve! Enjoy!