The Basket Blessing History, Traditions, Supplies, and Ideas

Here is some background and advice for starting your own tradition. Use some of these ideas, or create your own basket.

From St. Jude Catholic Church in South Bend, Indiana: The tradition goes back to Europe in the Middle Ages and has its roots even earlier, when Christians began to fast leading up to Christ’s Passion. As the Church evolved, the people began to celebrate the end of the rigors of fasting by eating a special meal on Easter Sunday that included many of the foods avoided during . Beginning around the 15th century, parishioners began asking their pastor to bless this , often brought to the church in a basket. Fast forward. For most, a special basket has been chosen, often lined with fine linen, then filled with certain foods. They may include the following: eggs: symbols of eternal life, of new life, of Christ’s Resurrection. butter: God’s goodness, often molded into the form of a paschal lamb; the Lamb of God. bread: the bread of life, often a round loaf symbolizing eternal life. horseradish & pepper: like the bitter herbs offered to Christ on Calvary. links of sausage or kielbasa: indicating that Christ broke the chains of death. ham or bacon: representing God’s abundance. lamb: the meat eaten as . salt: hospitality and prosperity. A candle may be added, indicating Christ as the light of the world, and two nails tied in the shape of a Cross. The food is covered with linen reminiscent of that which was placed over Christ’s body (the linen cloth that covered His head). The food is brought to the church on , and placed before the priest for his blessing, he being the conduit of the Source of all blessing. The blessing reminds the faithful that the sadness of Holy Saturday (before the Vigil) will soon give way to the joy of Easter Sunday, the joy that Christ is alive and has broken the chains of death forever!

Why color Easter eggs? Have you ever heard the legend that goes with the coloring of eggs? The story goes that Mary Magdalene had an interview with the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, and she brought him an egg to explain that Jesus rose from the dead. Tiberius is supposed to have said that there was about as much chance of Jesus coming back to life as there was for that egg Mary was holding to turn-ing red. With that the egg turned bright red! From that legend prompted the coloring of Easter eggs, a prominent part of the basket brought on Holy Saturday. Another legend was that Simon of Cyrene was an egg merchant, who was carrying a basket of eggs when asked to help Jesus carry the cross. After the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the story goes, that the eggs in Simon’s basket turned bright red, representative of Christ’s blood shed on Calvary. Hope you plan to have some bright red-colored eggs in your basket!

From CatholicCulture.org Catholic Activity: Blessing of the Easter Foods SUPPLIES: Basket of Easter foods, such as: lamb (butter or cake), sausage, bread, cheese, eggs, horseradish, wine, salt In Slavic countries the blessing of Easter foods was an important tradition. This blessing is still found in the updated Roman Ritual, and is a wonderful practice. Many parishes still participate in this custom of the blessing of the Easter food or baskets.

DIRECTIONS In some places the blessing of special Easter food takes place on Holy Saturday. Among the Slovaks a basket containing lamb meat (which of course signifies Jesus, the Lamb of God), boiled eggs, dyed and plain, Pascha (a special ), and other foods, is taken to the church in the afternoon where the priest blesses it, using the prayer [Editor's Note: This is an older version of the blessing. The current blessing can be found in the Book of Blessings]:

Bless, O Lord, this creation that it may be a means of salvation to the human race, And grant that, by the invocation of Thy Holy Name, it may promote health of body, and salvation of soul in those who partake of it, through Christ our Lord.

The food is then taken home and eaten for breakfast on Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Among the Polish people the same custom is practiced, but the main foods blessed are an egg which is broken and shared by all on Easter Sunday morning, and a lamb molded of butter or pastry. This butter-lamb and blessed have a place of honor on the festive Easter table.

In Rome on Holy Saturday there is an old custom which is still in practice. A fresh table cloth is spread on the table in the dining room and on it are laid out the Easter meal, including the uncooked Easter Lamb which is decorated with flowers, eggs, wine, fruit, and a large traditional cake called "pizza". These are sprinkled with holy water, and are given a special blessing by the priest.

Activity Source: How to Make Your House a Home by Rev. Bernard Stokes, O.F.M., Family Life Bureau, Washington D.C., 1955

From St. Stanislaus Kostka Church , in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, New York. In many Eastern European countries, it is a tradition to have a basket of food blessed on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday. In , for example, the blessing of the baskets is known as święcenie pokarmow wielkanocnych, a practice dating to the 15th century or earlier, and one which is still maintained by most families in Poland on Holy Saturday.

The food items in the , as well as at the Easter Sunday breakfast where the blessed food is eaten, have special significance.

Decorating the Basket

A lot of thought, time, and care is put not only into the foods that will go into the basket but also how the basket is assembled. The basket is lined with an embroidered cloth or traditional folk fabric. Once the basket is filled, it is covered with a white linen cloth (some have a colorfully crocheted edging or embroidered design) representing the shroud of Christ. The basket may then be decorated with sprigs of boxwood (bukszpan) or Polish “palms ” made from dried flowers and colorful paper.

Filling the Basket

A typical Eastern European Easter basket would include any of these symbolic foods.

Bacon–boczek/słonina. A symbol of the abundance of God’s mercy. Bread—chleb. Usually a braided sweet bread type, representing the staff of life given by God. Easter bread–. A round loaf of rich, eggy, yeast dough with raisins reminiscent of the risen Lord. Butter–masło. Dairy products are included to celebrate the end of Lent and the richness of our salvation. Butter is often shaped into a lamb (symbolic of the Paschal Lamb) and known as a baranek. (When the baranek is made of sugar, it is known as baranek cukrowy wielkanocny.) Candle–swieca. The candle symbolizes Jesus, the “light of the world,” and can be lit when the priest blesses the baskets of food. Cheese–ser. Cheese is a symbol to remind Christians of moderation. Colored eggs–pisanki (pee-SAHN-kee). Both colored and uncolored hard-cooked eggs indicate hope, new life and Christ rising from his tomb. Ham–szynka. Meats are symbolic of great joy and abundance in celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Sausage–kiełbasa. The sausage links are symbolic of the chains of death that were broken when Jesus rose from the dead, as well as of God’s generosity. Horseradish—chrzan. This is a reminder of the bitterness and harshness of the , and the vinegar it is mixed with symbolizes the sour wine given to Jesus on the cross. Salt–sól. Salt is represented to add zest to life and preserve us from corruption. Sweets–słodycze. Sweets suggest the promise of eternal life or good things to come.