The blessing of the Easter basket known as, swiecenie pokarmow wielkanocnych is a tradition that my family has participated in since I was a child.
My basket is lined with a white lace cloth awaiting the items that will be placed inside on Saturday morning that will be blessed for our Easter meal.
The white cloth that lines the basket symbolizes the shroud of Christ, and inside the basket I will place the baranek or lamb butter and a sugar lamb that symbolizes the Paschal lamb, Jesus.
Hard boiled eggs symbolize new life or Christ rising from his tomb.
When my Aunt Stella was still alive she would color the eggs for the basket using onion skins, I carry on this tradition, but I also add an egg that is colored by one of my children.
Links of Polish sausage are symbols of the resurrected Christ, horseradish represents accepting the bitter with the sweet in life. Salt is to add zest to life and keep us from evil, and sweets are the promise of eternal life.
At our Easter meal, each family member will eat this blessed food. Blessing of the Easter basket is a Polish tradition that I still hold dear to my heart.
As a child, I remember carrying the Easter blessing basket to church on Holy Saturday for the blessing of our food. I am so thankful that my church continues with the tradition of the blessing of the Easter basket.
Do you have any Easter traditions? If you do, I would love to hear about them.
Cheerfully,
Paulette
I loved hearing about your Easter basket and the blessings. I never had a chance for such a lovely experience.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely tradition; I've never heard of it before. I've also never seen lamb-shaped butter.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, I happened to watch Rachel Ray today (since I'm now on my Spring Break) and one of her guests showed how to make pisanki eggs. I thought of you, Paulette.
What a sweet tradition, I can only imagine the excitement you felt to carry the basket.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tradition! My family didn't really have any special traditions but my daughter and I started a tradition of taking breakfast to my Dad Easter morning and sharing the Easter Egg hunt with him. Since he passed away and my daughter went to Florida to university I've changed the tradition somewhat...now I take breakfast or flowers to someone who might not otherwise have anyone to share the day with. This year I'll be taking flowers to my elderly neighbour.
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice tradition. Lamb butter and sugar lambs, where do you find them. We go to Mass on Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday that is our tradition.
ReplyDelete