Easter Basket Blessing

The traditional Easter basket blessing is for foods that have Easter blessings tied to them. If you would like to have your basket of food blessed, bring it to the parish hall by 10am. (The blessing takes about 10 minutes.)

Text taken from Polish Holidays: An Introduction by Peter Zaremba, explains the different symbolisms tied to the foods in the Easter Baskets.

– The White Linen or Lace Napkin that lines the wicker basket may be perceived as the shroud that enwrapped the body of Christ.

– The Easter Lamb, made of butter or sugar (rock candy), but also of dough, wood, plaster, fleece, or even plastic, symbolizes the sacrificial Paschal Lamb, in other words Jesus Himself, whose banner proclaims the victory of life over death.

– Easter Eggs symbolize new life; just as a chick pecks its way out of its shell, so too Christ rose from His tomb to bring us the promise of eternal life.

– Bread, either a slice of ordinary rye bread or a special small round loaf imprinted with a cross, symbolizes “the bread of life,”, a metaphor for the God’s grace.

– Meat & Sausage are symbolic of the Paschal lamb or Christ resurrected, His victory over death and His promise of eternal life.

– Horseradish is one of the bitter herbs of the Passover which foretold the suffering of Christ on the Cross. It is also symbolic of life in which one must accept the bitter with the sweet.

– Vinegar symbolizes the sour wine (our English word “vinegar” comes from the French vin aigre – sour wine) which Jesus was given on a sponge to drink while hanging on the Cross.

– Salt symbolizes that which preserves us from corruption and adds zest to daily life.

– Cakes and confections symbolizing the sweetness of eternal life can now (following weeks of Lenten self-denial) be freely enjoyed in celebration of Christ’s Resurrection.