Skip to main content

Easter Ham and the Lamb of God



Why Do American Christians Ham it up on Easter?

I never had ham on Easter until I was a guest at American homes.

As an English immigrant, my parents kept up the tradition of roast lamb, potatoes, veggies and mint sauce. Hot cross buns are traditional but those in the U.S. have a different texture-- I don’t know enough about baking to say more. Hershey’s chocolate eggs were pretty good but not quite the same as Cadbury’s. Fortunately, I’m not too discriminating when it comes to milk chocolate (BBC link).

But the ham- why ham? It seems so in-your-face wrong. Obviously Jesus was a Jew as were his disciples. Surely they ate lamb at the Last Supper. And celebrating Jesus resurrection with a lamb just seems right. By eating ham, Christians might make it clear that Jews and Muslims aren’t welcome to this Christian meal.




If you search the web for Easter foods, you’ll find lots of references to that blend of pagan “Easter” traditions celebrating an old Anglo-Saxon goddess “Eostre” and symbols of rabbits and eggs representing the new birth of Spring (northern hemisphere only of course). Anyway, the idea of eggs and rabbits in Spring go way back in time.

But what about ham? Well it seems Northern Europeans slaughtered pigs in winter and prepared the meat-- salted and smoked. By spring it was ready to eat. They brought their tradition to America and it stuck along with eggs and rabbits. So ham does not seem to have any religious significance when it comes to Easter in the USA (unless you add a special meaning to your meat).



You wondered about Peeps? Well, apparently they come from a Russian immigrant, Sam Born, who initiated the brand in 1917 (USAToday).

Oh, Canadians are Americans too though people in the US tend to forget that other North American country. Easter there seems about the same as in England but you’ll find ham on Canadian menus too (story link).

Happy Easter!



Whatever you eat, it's good to remember to celebrate with family and friends. Easter is after all a celebration of the resurrection. The Spirit of God brings new life to individuals and relationships.

p.s. Some Hindus and Buddhists eat some meats. Some are vegetarians. Always best to ask.




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SPIRITUAL ABUSE: An Investigation

Investigating Spiritual Harassment and Abuse  WP Post Article In an exclusive article, Ian Shapira reported on problems within the US Anglican Church (2025, October 24). Two leaders in the Anglican church are identified early in the WP report.    [Ruch, who has been a bishop for 12 years, is one of two top leaders in the continent’s Anglican denomination confronting allegations of wrongdoing. The other is its senior-most official, Archbishop Stephen Wood. A married father of four sons, Wood, 62, has been accused by a former employee of trying to kiss her last year inside his church office in South Carolina, according to a new church presentment, which The Washington Post obtained in advance of its Monday submission. The accusations, which include plagiarizing sermons and demeaning colleagues, could prompt an ecclesiastical trial against Wood and his removal from ministry, according to the denomination’s laws. (Shapira, 2025).] ***** My concern is for people who have exper...
Post a Comment
Read more

Marriage Under Reconstruction

The 1950s imaginary sentimental love man as protein-carbs winner (bring home the bacon & breadwinner) marriage has ended for most people in most Western cultures. Some folks retain that image, or some photoshopped version of it, as the ideal traditional marriage.  Picture the happy couple at church with King James Bibles under their arms and you get the Protestant Christian version of this traditional marriage. Changes are a constant The changes in marriage and romantic relationships in the last few decades are staggering for anyone alive before the 1960s. Human behavior is my business. I am a psychologist. The counseling advice offered to couples seems to reflect the mythology of the decade rather than recommendations sourced in science. I would like to say that the nature and extent of the changes in marriage and romantic relationships have never been seen before in human history. But I am no historian. Nevertheless, the changes call for some consider...
4 comments
Read more

EASTER: VARIATIONS IN BELIEF

Differences in Religious & Spiritual Beliefs Relevant to the Easter Story By Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D. at suttong.com Like most Christians, my wife and I attend an Easter Service. And, a s usual, the media rise to the Spring occasion with Bible stories, comments from various religious leaders and a few atheists—just to keep things balanced. Other religions are on the back burner until Monday. So many statements of beliefs come from the Easter events.  For now, here’s a sample of some core beliefs from various sources. God: 51% believe in God as in the Bible Statista (May, 2023) reported US belief "in God as described in holy scriptures" at 51%. Another 22% reported a belief in a higher power or spirit. Pew researchers from 2021 find 58% believe in God as described in the Bible and another 32% believe in a God or Higher Power.  Belief in God is obviously a core belief. U.S. belief has declined to 58% having no doubt God exists and another 17% have do...
Post a Comment
Read more