Children’s Sermon - Easter Pretzels

www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com

Children’s
Sermon - Easter
Pretzels

Introduce children and
youth to the Easter
traditions and symbolism
associated with Pretzels.

www.CreativeEasterIdeas.com


There are many traditions and
stories surrounding the food we
know today as a “pretzel” and it
is difficult to separate the facts
from the legends. The exact
origin of the pretzel is unknown
and, like the doughy treat, its
history takes many twists and
turns.



“Little Rewards” and “Little
Arms”
One tradition says that as early as
610 AD, monks somewhere in
Southern France or Northern Italy
offered pretzels to children as a
“little reward” for memorizing their
Bible verses and saying their prayers.
The monks appropriately called it
a pretiola, Latin for “little reward”. At
some
point pretiola became brachiola,
which is Italian for “little arms”
because the pretzel looks like arms
folded in prayer. Eventually if found it
way to Germany and became known
as a Bretzel or Pretzel.



Food during Lent
Since many pretzel recipes
didn’t contain any of the
ingredients that were avoided
during the pre-Easter Lent
season – eggs, milk, butter, lard
– the pretzel became a popular
Lenten food throughout the
Middle Ages. Pretzels are still
part of the Easter celebrations in
many European countries.



Good Luck, Prosperity,
Spiritual wholeness
In 1440 AD a page in the
prayer book used by Catharine
of Cleves depicted St.
Bartholomew surrounded by
pretzels. They had come to
represent the good luck,
prosperity and spiritual
wholeness.



Everlasting Life and Rebirth
A decade later in 1450, Germans
ate pretzels and hard-boiled eggs
for dinner on Good Friday – the
day of fasting. The large, puffy
pretzel symbolized everlasting
life, and the two hard-boiled
eggs, nestled in each of the large
round curves of the pretzel,
represented Easter’s rebirth.



Hidden Treat
Soon, at Easter, the pretzel was
hidden with two hard-boiled eggs
for children to find. This is likely the
origin of the Easter Egg Hunt we
now associate with Easter, with the
difference being now we hide the
eggs instead of the pretzels. As
pretzels and eggs were often hidden
in the hay of a barn, baskets filled
with hay were later introduced as
part of the festivities.



Hard Pretzels
The hard pretzel seems to have been
introduced later. While it may have
simply been the result of a recipe for
the season of Lent, another story says
that a baker’s assistant fell asleep while
preparing the pretzels and overcooked
them. The Master Baker, in the process
of throwing out the spoiled pretzels,
decided to taste one of the spoiled
brown treats. He discovered he liked
the nutty flavor and crunchy taste and
realized they would keep longer since
the moisture had been completely
baked out.



Pretzels as an Easter Symbol
Regardless of the true origins, a pretzel
turned upside down does look like arms
folded in prayer and the three holes
could be used as a symbol of the trinity.
Pretzels also resemble a heart and thus
can be a reminder of the love God
showed when Jesus was crucified for
the sins of the world. As the pretzel is
broken and eaten, we are reminded
that Christ in the Passover meal said
that his body would be broken. Some
pretzel recipes consist only of water and
flour, thus proclaiming Lent as a time of
fasting and penitence. In many places of
Europe, pretzels are served only from
Ash Wednesday to Easter, thus keeping
the ancient symbolism alive.


Children’s Sermon
Introduce the Children to an Easter
basket filled with pretzels and eggs.
When you get questioning looks and
discussion about the presence of
the pretzels, tell them about the
history of the treat, the symbolism,
and then give each one a pretzel to
eat and as a reminder of so many
Easter truths.



Variation
Instead of an Easter Egg Hunt,
hide small snack size packets of
pretzels. Alternatively, wrap the
pretzels in plastic wrap and then
hide them. Kids will be curious
as to why pretzels have been
hidden instead of eggs. Then
introduce them to the Easter
traditions and symbolism
associated with the tasty treat.



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Children’s Sermon - Easter Pretzels

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Children’s Sermon - Easter Pretzels