Posted on 04/13/2006 6:39:27 AM PDT by sneakers
The blessing of the Easter Baskets on Holy Saturday is a tradition in the parishes in Western Pa. and other places where there is a large population of Polish and Slovak parishioners. Tomorrow I will bake my Easter breads (Paska) and get other foods ready to put in the basket to be taken to the Church on Saturday to be blessed. I take ham, kielbassa, butter (molded in the shape of a lamb), beets w/horseradish, salt, colored eggs, cream cheese, a bottle of wine and a candle, among other stuff. I cover it with a lace cloth. My breads are put on a cut-glass platter and covered with another lace cloth. The entire church smells so good!!
Anybody else have something special they put in their baskets? Do you take the entire ham or part of it? Do you cook it first? Do you have your meal on Easter Day or do you eat it Holy Saturday night? If you don't do the Easter baskets, what special traditions do you have in your church and/or as a family?
We greet one another with "He is risen!" and the response is "He is risen, indeed!"
Have a Blessed Resurection Sunday!"
We used to just take the eggs and sometimes a butter lamb when I was a kid.
That is also a beautiful tradition!
"Have a Blessed Resurection Sunday!"
Thank you! Most joyfully I return the greeting!: Have a Blessed Resurection Sunday!
Is there a reason to call it "Resurrection Sunday" (note the two r's) instead of Easter, or is it considered synonymous? We just say "Happy Easter".
Some people in our church bring their children's Easter Baskets to have blessed. Sometimes it's the children themselves who carry them up to be placed before the altar.
My mom always made sure we had a chocolate cross in our basket, along with the other goodies.
At our church, some baskets are very elaborate while others, like your tradition, were very simple. Just the act of going to the church for the blessing is so nice!
I have always said "Happy Easter" as well. I was just returning the greeting in kind.
That sounds wonderful!
We havent done that, but this year will be adding a "Passover meal" (gentile version) in our home this evening, with unleavened bread and roast lamb. Then watching the story of Moses in Egypt with the kids.
That sounds wonderful too! My husband and I, and my mom have already watched the Ten Commandments (Charleton Heston of course!) It's also become a tradition. It really brings home the significance of the Seder Meal and the Passover. I have to say, Holy Week and Easter Sunday is my favorite time of year. It is such a time of reflection and joy!
We do both every year, since my husband is Jewish, and I'm not. :)
You know, I never realized that was a Polish thing. My whole neighborhood was Polish anyway, so I always thought everybody did it.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Thanks for the explanation. I thought for some reason there might be an objection to calling it "Easter".
Are you a young'un? Maybe now is the time to start those traditions back up again with your own family! Each of the foods in the basket symbolizes an aspect of Christ's Passion and Resurrection.
http://acweb.colum.edu/users/agunkel/homepage/easter/easter.html
My mother was raised in rural Western PA as well, and I fondly remember going to Grandma's for Easter every year. The tradition of blessing the Easter baskets is a lovely one, and you are right when you mention how WONDERFUL the church smelled on Holy Saturday.
In addition to all the things you mentioned in your post, we also put Grandma's extra-super-duper-special-don't-touch-them-or-you're-deadmeat salt and pepper shakers. One had a portrait of the BVM, and the other had St. Joseph. One of my cousins inherited them when Grandma died, and she tells HER kids "don't touch 'em or you're dead meat," too. LOL
The rest of Holy Saturday was spent fasting (bread and water only, even the kids), and making dozens and dozens and dozens of pierogies and (my favorite) poppy seed rolls.
Boy did we eat after Mass on Easter...it's a wonder any one of us could even walk.
Regards and Happy Easter,
Right you are! And we learned about it every year while putting the basket together before going over to the church. An excellent way to teach the children. I hope Texgal's post helps start up this tradition elsewhere!
Regards,
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