Aggáthenon stefáni tou Hristoú - Crown of thorns
«Παρασκευή πασχαλινών ζυμωμάτων» Πηγή: Υπουργείο Γεωργίας
A type of bread shaped similar to the crown of thorns of Christ.
Name - Origin
Kουλούρι, όμοιο με το αγκάθινο στεφάνι του Χριστού
It was also called crown of Christ.
This bun was given the shape of a wreath, which is why it was called the crown of thorns of Christ. They would scorch the perimeter with scissors, so as to form protrusions that resembled thorns. In the area of Skyloura, it was decorated with raisins or koufeta (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 127-128).
Functional and symbolic role
The crown of thorns of Christ was an Easter bread prepared on Maundy Thursday or Maundy Saturday. In the village of Gypsu, they used to prepare this bread on Holy Week in the place of stavrokoúllouro (cross bun). Just like the stavrokoúllouro, the aggátheno stefáni was hung on the wall and eaten after 40 days (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 127-128).
The bun symbolised the crown of thorns of Christ (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 127-128).
Additional information and bibliography
Kypri Th. - Protopapa K. A. (2003), Cypriot traditional kneading of bread and pastries. Their use and significance in customary life, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XVIII, Nicosia.
Dimitra Demetriou / Petroula Hadjittofi, Argyro Xenophontos
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