Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/20/2019
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Location
FSSP Tyler: St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church
Categories
Holy Saturday at 10:00 a.m., there will be the traditional Blessing of the Easter Food Baskets. This tradition dates back to the seventh century.
Baskets containing Easter foods are brought to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood (bukszpan), the typical Easter evergreen.
While in some older or rural communities, the priest visits the home to bless the foods, the vast majority today visit the church on Holy Saturday, praying at the Tomb of the Lord (the fourteenth and final Station of the Cross). The blessing specifically address the various contents of the baskets. The priest then sprinkles the individual baskets with holy water.
The foods in the baskets have a symbolic meaning:
eggs – symbolize life and Christ’s resurrection
Babka (Easter Bread) – A round or long loaf topped with a cross or a fish, symbolic of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life
lamb – represents Christ
Salt – A necessary element in our physical life. Symbolic of prosperity and justice and to remind us that people are the flavor of the earth.
Chrzan (Horseradish) – Symbolic of the Passion of Christ still in our minds
ham – symbolic of great joy and abundance
Butter – This dairy product is often shaped into a lamb (Baranek Wielkanocny) or a cross. This reminds us of the good will of Christ that we should have towards all things.
Kielbasa (Sausage) – A sausage product, symbolic of God’s favor and generosity.
Smoked Bacon – A symbol of the overabundance of God’s mercy and generosity.
Cheese – Symbolic of the moderation Christians should have at all times.
Candle – Represents Christ as the Light of the World.
Colorful Ribbons and Sprigs of Greenery – are attached to the basket as signs of joy and new life in the season of spring and in celebration of the Resurrection.
Wine – for joy
Sweets – suggest the promise of eternal life or good things to come.
The food blessed in the church remains untouched until the great Easter feast.
