Easter break is coming into focus, as are the usual rhythms. Eggs get dyed. Hunts get planned. Some of us make it to a church service or two, and pause for that quiet weight of Good Friday.

Easter does not get the same airtime as Christmas. We all know the story of the candy cane: the shepherd’s crook, the colours, the meaning. At Easter, we tend to stop at the hot cross bun. The symbol is obvious. The cross is right there!

But another one is sitting quietly in most lunchboxes.

The pretzel.

Most of us see it as a salty snack. Something from the footy or the tuckshop. But its shape tells a much older story. Approximately 1,400 years old.

Whether legend, history, or a bit of both, back in 610 AD, a monk faced two problems. It was Lent, so his ingredients were limited: no meat, no dairy, no eggs. Just flour, water, and salt. And as a teacher, he had a room full of students who needed a reason to stay engaged.

So he made what he called pretiola. Little rewards. Pretiola became pretzel.

He took those simple ingredients and shaped them with purpose. The twist was not random. It formed the image of arms folded across the chest, hands on opposite shoulders. At that time, it was the posture of prayer. Even the three holes became part of the lesson: a simple way to point to the Trinity.

So when a student learned a prayer, they did not get a sticker or a certificate. They got something they could hold, eat, and remember. A gold star you could taste.

As Easter inches closer, it is worth noticing how often meaning sits in plain sight. The story is not always loud. Sometimes it is folded into the ordinary, into habits, into posture, into a salty snack at the bottom of a lunchbox.

The pretzel reminds us of that. Not just of prayer, but of where the Easter story begins. Not with noise or spectacle, but with a quiet turning of the heart. Arms folded. Lives reoriented. Ready to receive what God has already set in motion.

So if you spot one in a lunchbox or pantry these holidays, take a second look. It might just be the oldest gold star going around.

On behalf of the Redlands College community, we wish you a safe, peaceful, and restorative Easter break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for Term Two with renewed energy and purpose.