This is a time when some of the world’s major religions – Islam, Judaism and Christianity – are observing important events on their respective religious calendars. Millions of Canadians this weekend are either observing Passover, Easter or the middle of the holy month of Ramadan. As someone who doesn’t know much about religion, I enjoy reading stories from The Conversation network produced by religion and history scholars who do such a great job of explaining the traditions and practices of all faiths.

Feasts and the important part that food plays are a common element of most religious celebrations. So even if you’re not observing a religious ceremony this weekend, I’ve assembled a selection of explanatory stories about religion and faith from across The Conversation network – and also a great piece on why chocolate sometimes gets that white stuff on it.

Our newsroom is taking a long weekend, so we won’t be back in your Inbox until Tuesday.

Scott White

CEO | Editor-in-Chief

Weekend Reads: Understanding religion

What’s the white stuff on my Easter chocolate, and can I still eat it?

Nathan Kilah, University of Tasmania

It’s totally fine to eat chocolate with a white film on the surface. But what is it, how did it get there, and how can it be avoided?

Is the Easter bunny real? How to answer, according to a psychologist

Elizabeth Westrupp, Deakin University

You can still tell the truth without ruining everyone’s Easter. Here are some tips.

Jesus the faithful Jew: How misreadings of the Christian Gospels miss this and fuel anti-Judaism

Matthew Thiessen, McMaster University

Easter and Passover begin on the same weekend this year. This is an opportunity to revisit misconceptions about Jesus’s ministry and to address anti-Jewish uses of Christian scripture.

How a coffee company and a marketing maven brewed up a Passover tradition: A brief history of the Maxwell House Haggadah

Kerri Steinberg, Otis College of Art and Design

A collaboration between advertiser Joseph Jacobs and the famous coffee company produced the classic U.S. haggadah. The book sets out the ceremony for the Seder meal.

Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered

Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Michigan State University

Muslims observe a month-long fast for the holy month of Ramadan. A scholar explains the religious observance and its spiritual significance.

Explainer: what is Ramadan and why does it require Muslims to fast?

Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University

Ramadan, a holy month of fasting in Islam, begins this weekend, and asks Muslims to give thanks to God for the sustenance the Earth provides.

Christians hold many views on Jesus’ resurrection – a theologian explains the differing views among Baptists

Jason Oliver Evans, University of Virginia

Christians have engaged in passionate debates over the meaning of the resurrection. Baptists may be distinct in that they believe an external religious authority cannot enforce views on such matters.

Sacred hares, banished winter witches and pagan worship – the roots of Easter Bunny traditions are ancient

Tok Thompson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A folklorist explains the prehistoric origins of the mythical Easter Bunny and why this longstanding cultural symbol keeps returning each spring.

Best Easter pageant ever? Half a century of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

Henry Bial, University of Kansas

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s famous musical has long inspired controversy for how it depicts the story of Jesus of Nazareth.

Easter laughter: the hilarious and controversial medieval history of religious jokes

Seb Coxon, UCL

Religion has been a laughing matter since the middle ages.

The Conversation Weekly podcast

A tale of two cities: why Indonesia is planning a new capital on Borneo – and abandoning Jakarta. Podcast

Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation

Why is Indonesia planning to build a new capital called Nusantara? Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.