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Ana
Guest
Do you have your Easter food blessed? What foods do you put in it, and do you decorate the basket? This is my first year participating in this part of the celebration, and I was just looking for a little info. TIA!!
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Ana
Guest
Do you bring all of the food for the Easter meal, or just some?
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top_cat
Guest
This is a Custom in the Eastern Churches - both Orthodox and Catholic.
Our baskets contain some of the foods from which we have fasted during Great Lent
Our baskets contain some of the foods from which we have fasted during Great Lent
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Ana
Guest
Oh really? I was under the impression we were to bring the food we were eating for our Easter Meal. Now I’m confused. Maybe I’ll just skip and be more prepared next year. Do you decorate the basket?
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top_cat
Guest
Yes we do.
My basket is circular - will contain Pysanka , salt , butter , meat sausage and ham ], cheese . and bread. There will also be a candle in it . As I take it to Church for Pascha next Sunday - we are just entering Holy Week this weekend ] it will be covered by an embroidered cloth .
We place our baskets at the front of the Church and after Liturgy or the Saturday one if we can go ] they are Blessed .
I was not aware of Roman Latin ] Catholics having this custom
My basket is circular - will contain Pysanka , salt , butter , meat sausage and ham ], cheese . and bread. There will also be a candle in it . As I take it to Church for Pascha next Sunday - we are just entering Holy Week this weekend ] it will be covered by an embroidered cloth .
We place our baskets at the front of the Church and after Liturgy or the Saturday one if we can go ] they are Blessed .
I was not aware of Roman Latin ] Catholics having this custom
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Ana
Guest
Thank you so much for your replies, top cat.
I believe it is more of an Eastern European custom, but one that does have it’s place in the Roman Catholic tradition, if I am not mistaken. I ran across it during my quest for Catholic traditions through my family heritage. Supposedly this is a custon with slavic roots. My local parish offers this blessing, I just was never aware of it before now.
I believe it is more of an Eastern European custom, but one that does have it’s place in the Roman Catholic tradition, if I am not mistaken. I ran across it during my quest for Catholic traditions through my family heritage. Supposedly this is a custon with slavic roots. My local parish offers this blessing, I just was never aware of it before now.
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samcarter14
Guest
That is true as well. Because in the Eastern Rites, we abstain from meat and cheese and eggs throughout Lent, those foods obviously feature prominently in the Easter dinner.
At our church, people bring a lot of traditional Hungarian Easter foods, and everybody shares what’s in their baskets for the potluck. Some also bring a cooked ham to share; this year we’re bringing baked spicy chicken legs. Nom.Because we’re heading out of town right after our liturgy and Pascha potluck, we’re not bringing the ham we’ll take to my in laws. This year it’s a modified basket:
Two loaves of Pascha bread (Hungarian milk-loaf), homemade macaroons, chocolate bunnies for all the kids, the harboiled eggs we decorated today, and salt (it’s traditional to have your kitchen salt blessed). I put a candle in; everybody does. We light it when the baskets are blessed. Most everybody has a Pascha cover–embroidered cloth to put over the basket–but I am not so lucky; i haven’t had the time to make or find one! Maybe next year.
Other traditional foods in Eastern baskets:
Ham, sausage, egg cheese (I have never tried to make this, but it is so good I might make it next year). Butter, usually pressed into the shape of a lamb using a special mold.
However, if this is a new tradition at your Roman Catholic parish then yes, it would most likely be people bringing the food they are going to use for their Easter dinner. No need to go all Eastern if you don’t want to.
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Ana
Guest
Thank you. I am not really familiar with any other branch of Catholicism other than the Roman Catholic Church. It seems your Lenten dietary obligations are a lot more stringent than ours. I would have trouble thinking of meals to prepare for all that time. I have TWO basic recipes that I switch between through the Fridays of Lent.That is true as well. Because in the Eastern Rites, we abstain from meat and cheese and eggs throughout Lent, those foods obviously feature prominently in the Easter dinner.
Because we’re heading out of town right after our liturgy and Pascha potluck, we’re not bringing the ham we’ll take to my in laws. This year it’s a modified basket:
Two loaves of Pascha bread (Hungarian milk-loaf), homemade macaroons, chocolate bunnies for all the kids, the harboiled eggs we decorated today, and salt (it’s traditional to have your kitchen salt blessed). I put a candle in; everybody does. We light it when the baskets are blessed. Most everybody has a Pascha cover–embroidered cloth to put over the basket–but I am not so lucky; i haven’t had the time to make or find one! Maybe next year.
Other traditional foods in Eastern baskets:
Ham, sausage, egg cheese (I have never tried to make this, but it is so good I might make it next year). Butter, usually pressed into the shape of a lamb using a special mold.
However, if this is a new tradition at your Roman Catholic parish then yes, it would most likely be people bringing the food they are going to use for their Easter dinner. No need to go all Eastern if you don’t want to.
And one of them has eggs in it. lol I would have to take a crash course in vegen cooking.The Pascha cover sounds beautiful, and something that can be passed down. I will have to try to hunt one down for next year.
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Ana
Guest
For anyone who is interested, I just got back from the Easter Blessing of the Food. I managed to get a glimpse in most of the baskets without being too obvious.
I saw eggs, bread, cheese, some had salt, chocolate, bottles of wine. Some had tupperwares with food in them, and I saw lots of the lamb butter molds. (I wonder where you get them.) I only brought our eggs and a candles cause I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to bring ALL the food for our meal or just some of it. Looks like it’s a matter of preferance. Some had little baskets with a few things, others had large baskets with what looked like their whole meal.
Everyone had their baskets covered with a pretty cloth. I forgot mine and bummed a piece of tissue paper from the ladies who were decorating the altar with the flowers. The eggs were wet cause it rained. It wasn’t too pretty and actually looked pretty bad when it started absorbing some of the food dye from the wet eggs and getting splotchy. Thankfully I was sitting towards the back. I just hurried up and got out of there first, so no one would see my soggy splotchy tissue paper, and my wet eggs. At least now I kow what i am supposed to do. I’ll be better prepared next year, I hope. ***Note to self … get a Pascha cloth.
I saw eggs, bread, cheese, some had salt, chocolate, bottles of wine. Some had tupperwares with food in them, and I saw lots of the lamb butter molds. (I wonder where you get them.) I only brought our eggs and a candles cause I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to bring ALL the food for our meal or just some of it. Looks like it’s a matter of preferance. Some had little baskets with a few things, others had large baskets with what looked like their whole meal.Everyone had their baskets covered with a pretty cloth. I forgot mine and bummed a piece of tissue paper from the ladies who were decorating the altar with the flowers. The eggs were wet cause it rained. It wasn’t too pretty and actually looked pretty bad when it started absorbing some of the food dye from the wet eggs and getting splotchy. Thankfully I was sitting towards the back. I just hurried up and got out of there first, so no one would see my soggy splotchy tissue paper, and my wet eggs. At least now I kow what i am supposed to do. I’ll be better prepared next year, I hope. ***Note to self … get a Pascha cloth.
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MarieVeronica
Guest
Hi Ana 
I have read that blessing of Easter food is especially popular in Poland. The people bring colored eggs, bread and butter (carved in the shape of a lamb)… for their priest to bless.
I would suggest that you bring any non-perishable items from your Easter dinner… in a simple basket. Bread, canned goods, seasonings… etc.
Hope this helps. God bless and HAPPY EASTER!
:harp:
I have read that blessing of Easter food is especially popular in Poland. The people bring colored eggs, bread and butter (carved in the shape of a lamb)… for their priest to bless.I would suggest that you bring any non-perishable items from your Easter dinner… in a simple basket. Bread, canned goods, seasonings… etc.
Hope this helps. God bless and HAPPY EASTER!
:harp:
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