Easter

March 28, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments

Pictured: Cupcakes and Cadbury chocolate eggs.

Easter in the states and in Australia can be a varied experience. I spent last years Easter in Australia so I can give a brief run down of those differences. The thing that stands out the most is the existence of Easter Monday. Before going to Australia I had never heard of this concept before. It's basically an additional public holiday tacked onto Easter weekend. Good Friday, the Saturday before Easter, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday are ALL recognized public holidays in Australia. This means that the majority of businesses will be closed. In America, businesses closing on Easter weekend doesn't really happen. In fact today, Easter Sunday, I went down to grab a bubble tea and every business I passed was open. It's more common for businesses to remain open in America during holidays than in Australia because it's normal for people to go out to celebrate or get food during them.

I noticed that Australia has a much more relaxed atmosphere when it comes to taking off time to recognize public holidays. In the states it seems that the only guaranteed day you'll have off is Christmas. Even then, if you're a lower income worker in retail you might still have to work! It became quite apparent to me that America has a huge emphasis on working and productivity at the cost of spending time with family, yourself, and relaxation. Although it did feel inconvenient that I couldn't do much over Easter weekend, my first beak period of University in Australia, I did recognize that this was for the benefit of others and the community.

Another Easter trend I found important in Australia is having hot cross buns. I had never had them before coming there, but a friend had told me that it's a tradition to eat them around this time of year. I decided that if I was going to have one I might as well try one of the best so I bought mine from Phillipa's in Melbourne's CBD. I'd describe the taste as being very similar to a loaf of raisin bread but with a hint of citrus. Of course I didn't learn until much later that you're actually supposed to put butter on them, much like raisin bread... whoops!

Despite the differences, you'll note that Cadbury eggs are still very prevalent in both countries at this time of the year. Have a happy Easter!