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• Hot cross buns were among the earliest Easter treats, made by European monks and given to the poor during Lent.

• Pretzels were originally associated with Easter. The twists of a pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossed in prayer.

• Passover is celebrated with karpas (a green vegetable, usually parsley) and bitter herbs

• The German word “to mourn” (grun) is very similar to the word for green (grÜn). So in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Austria, Hungary and much of Germany, Easter is GrÜndonnerstag: a day to eat spinach and salad.