The blessing of the Easter Basket containing the food for the first meal of Easter has been a beloved Catholic ritual for centuries among families of Eastern European origin. This tradition has since been adopted by people of all ethnic backgrounds, who enjoy its rich symbolism. On Holy Saturday morning, families prepare their Easter Baskets and fill them with symbolic items. The baskets are later brought to church to be blessed during a short service in the early afternoon. After Easter Sunday’s Resurrection Mass, each family and their guests share their blessed fare and exchange good wishes.
The custom of blessing the Easter foods arose from the strict Lenten fasting of the past, when meat, eggs, fats, and other foods were forbidden during Lent. Easter was thus greeted with great joy as the day when Christ arose and when fasts were ended. The Church’s joy and thanksgiving were expressed in this custom of blessing the foods for the first meal of Easter.
The Christian significance of Easter is symbolized in the items used and foods chosen for this special Easter tradition.Baskets are lined with a white cloth and decorated with ribbons, flowers, and greenery to symbolize spring, renewal, and, of course, the Resurrection of Jesus.
Traditionally, the baskets are filled with: decorated hardboiled eggs (representing Christ’s Resurrection); lamb-shaped butter or sugar (representing Christ as the “Lamb of God”); bread (reminding us that Jesus is the “Bread of Life”); meats, such as ham (symbolic of great joy and abundance), sausage (symbolic of God’s favor and generosity), smoked bacon (symbolic of the overabundance of God’s mercy), or lamb (representing Christ as the “Lamb of God”); salt (symbolic of prosperity and justice, and reminding us that we are “the salt of the earth”); cheese (symbolizing the moderation Christians should have at all times); horseradish, pepper, oil, and vinegar (symbolic of the Passion of Christ and the bitter herbs of the Passover); and wine (symbolic of the Blood of the Lord).
The foods and other items contained in the family basket can be easily personalized, even including a sampling of any foods “given up” for Lent.
A white candle is often inserted into the basket to represent Christ as the “Light of the World.”
Lastly, the basket is covered with white linen, to symbolize the shroud in which Christ’s body was wrapped.
This long-honored tradition is both deeply symbolic and delightfully heart-warming. Children are eager to help prepare and decorate the family basket and proudly carry it into the church on Holy Saturday for the blessing. Some families prepare specially decorated baskets for their young children, filled with fruits, chocolate bunnies, or other treats to be blessed.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help invites you and your family to bring your unique family basket(s) to the church on Holy Saturday, April 16, at noon for a brief blessing service. Do come and share in this beloved custom with your parish family, or make this the start of a new Easter tradition with your own family, relatives, and friends!
+ Bless their Easter eggs and candy and all that the baskets contain, with which they will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, your Son and our brother. As they eat these foods and candies may their Easter joy increase. We ask this through Christ our risen Lord. Amen.
Bless us and this food of our first Easter meal. May we who gather at the Lord's table continue to celebrate the joy of his resurrection and be admitted finally to his heavenly banquet. Grant this through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen.
The traditional Catholic blessing says it clearly: “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive through Christ Our Lord.Amen.” The last familiar words of the prayer, “through Christ Our Lord,” are the key to understanding the blessing of food on Holy Saturday.
The tradition of blessing the food consumed on Easter — often Easter breakfast — is a Polish/Slavic custom that dates back to Medieval times. The Christian community asked God's blessing on the foods that will break the Great Fast (Lent) from which they have abstained for 40 days.
Bless us, O God.Bless our food and our drink.Since you redeemed us so dearly and delivered us from evil,as you gave us a share in this food so may you give us a share in eternal life.
What is a Blessing Box? A Blessing Box is a “l*ttle Free Pantry”, which provides non perishable food (like cereal, canned soup/pasta, granola bars) as well as hygiene items (including shampoo, soap, toothbrushes/toothpaste and toilet paper) to local residents when they need them.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, maker of heaven and earth and Father of all your people: we give you glory for your goodness and for your loving care for us. Bless this food [this bread] and grant that all who eat it may be strong in body and grow in your love. Blessed are you, Lord our God, for ever and ever.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You not only died on the cross for our sins, but You rose again from the dead so that we could have a victorious, overcoming, Christian life here on earth as it is in heaven. Father, let everyone walk in the power of that resurrection truth. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
To celebrate the end of Lent, they would bring baskets of delicious goods to church in order to be blessed by a priest. All of these symbols of fertility were passed down through the ages—the bunny, the eggs, and the basket itself—to be reimagined into the Easter traditions we hold dear to us today.
Latin Catholic (before eating) – "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty.Through Christ, our Lord.Amen."
We praise you in this Easter season.Change our lives, change our hearts to be messengers of Easter joy and hope.We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever.Amen.
We are grateful for Your provision. We ask that You would bless this food and continue to guide our family along Your path. In the name of Your son Jesus, amen.” Saying grace can be a simple act that gives credit to God for His provision, guidance and everlasting love.
On Holy Saturday morning, families prepare their Easter Baskets and fill them with symbolic items.The baskets are later brought to church to be blessed during a short service in the early afternoon. After Easter Sunday's Resurrection Mass, each family and their guests share their blessed fare and exchange good wishes.
As I wrote about German Easter traditions last year: While in my childhood Easter egg hunting meant scouring our garden for actual eggs, German children fill their baskets with egg- and bunny-shaped treats from the finest chocolates and marzipan.
To celebrate the end of the fast, the Ukrainian Easter basket includes butter and sometimes semi-hard cheeses. A cheesecake-like dessert called syrnyk is made from soft, fresh farmer's cheese, butter, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.
Traditionally, the baskets are filled with: decorated hardboiled eggs (representing Christ's Resurrection); lamb-shaped butter or sugar (representing Christ as the “Lamb of God”); bread (reminding us that Jesus is the “Bread of Life”); meats, such as ham (symbolic of great joy and abundance), sausage (symbolic of God's ...
The basket itself symbolizes the tomb from which Jesus emerged victorious over death, just as the egg symbolizes new life and resurrection. Thus, the act of giving and receiving Easter baskets becomes a tangible expression of faith.
The tradition of giving Easter gift baskets dates back to ancient times when people exchanged symbols of new life in the spring. As Christianity spread, this tradition merged with the celebration of Easter, and giving decorated eggs became popular in the Middle Ages.
Blessing of the Easter Food Baskets on Holy Saturday is a tradition among Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian Central and Eastern Europeans, including Czechs, Croatians, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Poles, Russians, Rusyns, Slovaks, Slovenes, and Ukrainians.
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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