Today is
Palm Sunday. The Christian community
celebrates the entry of Christ in Jerusalem. It is an old custom in some regions
of the Netherlands for the children to participate in a procession with a homemade Palm Sunday pole.
My daughters have been attending the Waldorf school in their childhood, were this custom also was
being kept alive.
Of course we’re not making the entire pole any more but the rooster
on top is so delicious, we kept the baking of this rooster as a family tradition for Palm Sunday.
 |
| An example of the Palm Sunday pole |
Although
the church has attached their own interpretation to the symbols of this pole (as
they have done with many customs of the our holidays), I’d rather see this as the
a version of the May Pole which is a kind of fertility pole. This type of maypole originates
from the Germanic custom to carry around a decorated pine with a rooster on top
which was the rooster Gullinkambi (Old Norse for Golden Comb) The Rooster is a
symbol for the coming of the light which he announces every morning. The pine was a symbol for Yggdrasil, the world
tree.
The
habit of using bread in the shape of an animal dates back to the period in
which they no longer sacrificed
real wild animals.
After this small dilatation I just wanted to
share we had a lot of fun with the baking and shaping of our rooster. My son in law thought it looked
more like a dragon than a rooster but it tasted wonderful J
What a wonderful (and yummy) tradition for spring! Funny, but I had a feral rooster show up in my yard about a week ago (crowing and making my indoor kitties crazy, lol). A rooster makes so much sense on several levels as a symbol of everything waking up. Is it true in Holland you have chocolate chickens instead of chocolate bunnies?
ReplyDeleteHaha We have both. I don't know why we have those. Perhaps it has something to do with the rooster, but I can't find it on Google
Deletehttp://snoepenchocoladeshop.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/500,500x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/4/149-petit-ami-chocolade-kip-op-mand-groot.jpg
Makes sense to me! :)
DeleteI don't follow any of the holidays of modern christian man, but your rooster is a lovely reflection on the past, I love it.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the pagan holidays with the old traditions too
DeleteI have to admit the rooster is gone already :D
What a fun tradition! I like the rooster. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Eowyn:)
DeleteWow, I'd never heard about rooster bread before, or the rooster on the pole. Lovely to think of these more ancient traditions and their symbolism, and glad your rooster bread was yummy :D
ReplyDeleteI like these old traditions a lot. They have been adapted a lot but you still can feel the old ways seeping through
DeleteWow, I love these traditions, and that bread looks amazing!!! I'm glad it came out well and tasted so good! This makes me feel like baking. Happy Holy Week!
ReplyDeleteSomehow I always like to bake something special for each holiday
DeleteHappy Holy week for you too
Ellen, it is interesting to learn of these traditions. My grandmothers were from Auchen and Holland. Their names were Kindel, Hahnen, and Umbach I never knew them as they were gone when I was born. It is lovely to meet someone from the Netherlands and learn about the culture. The Rooster bread is lovely!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine. Meeting people from all over the world is one of the beautiful aspects of blogging!
DeleteIt is lovely to share our thoughts and also our culture :D