The symbolism of Easter

Here at Ara, we are so lucky to be able to celebrate and embrace the diversity of cultures, traditions and beliefs within our Ara whanau.

Earlier in March we celebrated Pride week. It was awesome to see students and staff coming together, participating in events, like the fabulous Vogue Ball and learning about the origins of the pride movement.

We recently celebrated Pride Week…

This coming weekend is Easter! Most of us (well I know I am) are looking forward to a few days off and a tonne of chocolate. But what is Easter is all about?

Christian origins…

Easter is one of the major events in the Christian calendar and the basis of Christian faith. It is the belief that Jesus (Son of God) who was crucified on the Friday (Good Friday) rose from the dead on the Sunday (Easter Sunday). It fulfils a prophecy that the Son of God would die for the sins of the world, making humans right with God.

You can learn more by heading along to Focus: Christians at Ara on Tuesday 12pm – 1pm in X204.

So how did we get from there, to chocolate?

It’s actually a combination of Pagan and Christian beliefs.

The Rabbit
Easters date depends on the Moon, meaning it moves from year to year. The hare, or rabbit is an ancient symbol for the Moon. Easter, in the northern hemisphere occurs during spring time. Spring is associated with new life and because rabbits are ‘good at making new life’, they became associated with this time of year. German Lutherans took the idea of the rabbit and created a mythical creature, known as the Easter Bunny. The bunny was meant to judge whether children had been good or bad (like Santa) and bring them eggs if they were good.

Photo by Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

Eggs
Eggs are a symbol of new life in many cultures. In early Hindu mythology, the world was said to have emerged from an egg. The shape of an egg is very similar to the shape of a tomb, where Jesus was buried. Early Christians would paint eggs red to remember the blood of Jesus.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

In 1875, Cadbury chocolate company produced it’s first chocolate egg to celebrate Easter. The Easter bunny, as the bringer of eggs, started to bring children chocolate eggs. Through marketing and traditions, we now have easter as we know it today.

Happy Easter everyone!

Written by Rose Edgar, Disability Services

Library hours over the Easter Weekend break

The year is inexorably rolling forward and once again we find ourselves at Easter. Easter Weekend is a great time to de-stress and unwind after the first hectic weeks of the year and gives us all a chance to spend time with friends, family and whanau.

The Library will also be closed over the Easter Weekend break and our hours will be: 

Friday 2nd April                                               Closed

Saturday 3rd April                                           Closed

Sunday 4th April-Tuesday 6th April      Closed

We will reopen for business at 7 am on Wednesday 8th April 2021.

Don’t over indulge in Easter Chocolate this holiday….

From all of us here at Ara Library we wish you a peaceful and restful Easter break.

Library availability over the Easter break

Once again and despite the Covid 19 situation Easter is upon us.

No doubt Easter 2020 will be one to remember as we cannot do the usual things we would be doing at this time of the year…visiting our friends & family, going on vacation, Autumn trips into the back country or for those who are religious going to church.

Stay home this Easter….the outdoors will still be there after Covid 19 is defeated…

Despite our requirement to stay isolated we can still celebrate the holiday with those in our social bubble. This Easter break why don’t you plan a special Easter meal, go for a local walk/bike ride with your bubble, contact a friend or family member to check their status or just stay home & treat yourself to a stress free day or two.

Why not have a festive Easter meal over the holidays….

Here at Ara Library we will also be celebrating the Easter break so we will not be available from Friday the 10th April through to Tuesday 14th April. We will be monitoring our communication channels (both phone and online) but will not be able to answer any inquiries until the morning of Wednesday the 15th April.

From all of us here at Ara Library we wish you a happy Easter and we look forward to assisting you after the holidays.

Finally, please remember this Easter to stay home to fight COVID-19…

Library hours over the Easter Weekend/ANZAC Day break

All campuses of Ara Institute of Canterbury will be closed over the Easter break. We will also be closed on Thursday 25th April to observe the ANZAC Day commemorations.

The following are the hours at our City campus, Madras Street campus.

Our Library Services at Manawa campus will be closed from Friday 19th April to Friday 26th April. Normal services resume at Manawa on Monday 29th April.

Our Library Services on the Timaru campus will be available on Wednesday 24th April and Friday 26th April from 8am to 5pm over the Easter break. Normal library hours will resume from Monday 29th April at Timaru campus.

This year is unique because Easter Weekend and ANZAC Day are separated by only one workday. Most businesses, tertiary providers and government departments will therefore be open on Wednesday the 24th April and Friday the 26th April.

The Library’s normal hours of operation at City campus, Christchurch  will resume from Friday 26th April.

From all of us in the Library, we hope you enjoy your break!

Over Easter all Ara Campuses are closed

All Ara libraries will be closed over the Easter break from Friday 30th March (Good Friday) until Tuesday 3rd April. We will re-open on Wednesday 4th April. Relax over the Easter break and attempt to go chocolate free (if you can). I know this is a very difficult thing to attempt when chocolate is everywhere. Fresh hot cross buns straight out of the oven are a good tasty alternative. If you need to study at Ara the POD at Christchurch City Campus has 24 hour access and TG01 block at Timaru campus is available from 7:30am until 10pm. You will need to swipe your student ID card to get into these study spaces.

Happy Easter everyone!

 

A classic Easter recipe: Easter hot cross muffins

This Friday is the beginning of the Easter holiday break, and I thought I would share a classic recipe with you. My family is from the United States and as such we often use American style recipes in our family cuisine. I have an book entitled Virginia Cookbook: Selected Recipes from Virginia’s Favorite Cookbooks, by Gwen McKee & Barbara Moseley. The book is a collection of old and new recipes taken from various sources and combined to provide a taste of typical Virginian fare. Here is a delicious Easter themed recipe I highly recommend:

Easter Hot Cross Muffins

Mixture

1/2 cup raisins                                                                                                1/4 teaspoon clove (optional)

2 tablespoons orange juice                                                                          1/2 cup candied peel

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour                                                                        1/2 cup chopped dried apricot

2/3 cup granulated sugar                                                                             1 egg 1 cup low-fat milk

1 tablespoon baking powder                                                                        1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon                                                                      2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon allspice                                                                                         1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 1/4 cups sifted icing sugar
4 teaspoons orange juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place raisins in a small bowl. Pour juice overtop. Microwave, covered, until hot, 1 minute Set aside. Lightly coat or spray a 12-cup muffin tin or 9×5 inch loaf pan with oil. In a large bowl, using a fork, stir flour with sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt and cloves. Stir in raisin mixture, candied peel and apricots.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk egg. Whisk in milk, oil, butter and vanilla. Pour over flour mixture. Stir just until mixed. Batter will be lumpy. Divide between muffin cups or scrape into loaf pan and smooth top.

Bake in centre of preheated oven until a cake tester inserted into centre of muffins or loaf comes out clean, 20 to 25 minute for muffins, 1 hour for loaf. Remove pan to a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on rack. Store muffins or loaf in an airtight container and store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Glaze

Stir sifted icing sugar with orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins in a criss-cross pattern to mimic hot cross buns or spoon over loaf, if you wish.

 

These muffins are beautifully complex in taste, excellent treats for the Easter break. Bake some and enjoy.

 

Easter is coming

Easter is coming, and the last long weekend before we head into the depths of winter. The Library is closed on Friday 22nd April, open again on Wednesday 27th at 8am.

For many people in Christchurch a long weekend might seem like the perfect opportunity to head as far away as possible to escape the rubble and silt, but check out what’s on locally before you head for the hills.

Events range from traditional Easter religious celebrations….

St John Passion

to the more  unique….” a multimedia journey into the heart of Easter”

Event Finder lists various musical offerings, plus a family carnival in Richmond,  Riccarton Bush Saturday Farmer’s Market, and tours of the Air Force Museum out at Wigram, where there will also be an Anzac Day  Commemoration Service on Monday 25th April

If you are still thinking of heading out of town there is the Easter Art  Weekend at Castle Hill, or the not so arty…. but enthusiastic,  motorbike racing in Methven.

For the more musically inclined there is the Canterbury Family Festival of Music just 40mins away in the Waipara Valley. A weekend of concerts, workshops, jam sessions and a barndance.

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, enjoy, stay safe and stay warm, the weather forecast is mixed but that might be a good thing for any Easter ski bunnies out there!

The Library re-opens on Wednesday 27th April at 8am.

April 30th will see the return of weekends and late-nights as we gradually return to normal. Keep checking the CPIT website for post-quake updates

One a penny two a penny.

Hot cross buns!

Despite being in the supermarket since Christmas, hot cross buns have a long standing connection with Easter. 

Traditionally eaten on Good Friday the cross is seen to represent the crucifixion.  However as with many other christian traditions, historians believe that they actually predate Christianity.  According to Wikipedia crossed buns were eaten by the Saxons as a tribute to the goddess Eostre  with the cross representing the four quarters of the moon.

Christian? Saxon? at least we can all agree that they are yummy.  But don’t buy them from the supermarket, bake your own.  The following recipe was provided by a library staff member, we all tested them this morning at morning tea and they were great.

Julie’s Hot Cross Buns (makes 16 buns)

Mix and froth: 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of hot water, 2 tbs sugar and 1tbs yeast (or Surebake equivalent)
Add 2 cups of flour
Cream together: 100g butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar
Add: 1 egg, 1½ tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, 1tsp nutmeg, 1tbs mixed spice and 1½ cups of dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currant)
Add: Aprox. 2 extra cups of flour.
Knead
Make into buns to rise.
Cook in a preheated oven at 220°C for 10 minutes followed by 180°C for 5 minutes.
Glaze when cooked with 2tbs of golden syrup and 1 tbs of water (mixed together)

Enjoy!

If you like baking then check out some of the baking books in the library including books on French baking, sugarless baking and Maori baking.