On which Christian holiday are hot cross buns traditionally eaten?

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday.

A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun marked with a cross on top. The cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus in Christian tradition, while spices are often understood as recalling burial spices. Modern versions commonly contain raisins, currants, or candied fruit, although recipes vary by region.

The buns became especially associated with Good Friday in England. A widely repeated story connects them with the seventeenth-century London clerk Thomas Rocliffe, but the exact origin of the modern custom is uncertain and earlier spiced breads existed.

English law once restricted the sale of spiced buns outside particular times, including Good Friday, Christmas, and funerals. That restriction helped give the buns a special holiday identity. Today they are sold well before Easter, but Good Friday remains the traditional day most strongly linked with them.