Is it Catholic to have a dinner/feast on Easter Day?

[phil19034]

Easter Sunday is a FEAST day, so yes, it’s a day for Catholics (and all Christians) to celebrate.

As FYI - Good Friday historically is/was considered the more somber day, and until the mid 20th Century, was considered the more important day between the two for Catholics.

 

[phil19034]

My housemates who are baptised but not practicing laughed at me for wanting to celebrate Easter. In the end one of them said “Christ is risen and all that jazz”. I think that’s the best I’m going to get, so we’re having lamb.

Sounds like they simply don’t believe.

 

[phil19034]

I always thought that all Christians ate lamb on Easter as continuation of Jewish tradition. We would - under normal circumstances - attend the true Pascal Sacrifice and eat the true Passover Lamb, and then we go home and eat lamb.

Its interesting to read how other people celebrate Easter.

For whatever reason, but family always ate ham.

 

[Phemie]

Depending where you are from, it may be traditional to have a special lunch on every Sunday of the year anyway.

Growing up that was certainly the case at our house. The cousins would drop in for lunch, Mom would burn something, the usual.

I remember one Sunday when one cousin looked at the other as they were putting food on their plate and said, “We have to go!” The other one, looking puzzled, asked, “Why?” “We’re in the wrong house! Nothing is burnt!”

Mom was actually a good cook, but one who was easily distracted, especially if she sat at the piano.

We usually did have guests for Easter dinner, though, a meal we had around 5:30 p.m., not noon.

 

[phil19034]

do_justly_love_mercy:

Depending where you are from, it may be traditional to have a special lunch on every Sunday of the year anyway.

Growing up that was certainly the case at our house. The cousins would drop in for lunch, Mom would burn something, the usual.

I remember one Sunday when one cousin looked at the other as they were putting food on their plate and said, “We have to go!” The other one, looking puzzled, asked, “Why?” “We’re in the wrong house! Nothing is burnt!”

Mom was actually a good cook, but one who was easily distracted, especially if she sat at the piano.

We usually did have guests for Easter dinner, though, a meal we had around 5:30 p.m., not noon.

My family used to visit my grandmother after almost every Sunday mass. She would almost always either take us out to Sunday brunch or cook for us (more often going out then cooking).

Sometimes my cousins would come too, but since they rarely went to mass, they didn’t usually come.

I really miss that & her.

 

[Phemie]

MockSock:

I always thought that all Christians ate lamb on Easter as continuation of Jewish tradition. We would - under normal circumstances - attend the true Pascal Sacrifice and eat the true Passover Lamb, and then we go home and eat lamb.

Its interesting to read how other people celebrate Easter.

For whatever reason, but family always ate ham.

That’s what we usually have at Easter. Much cheaper than lamb. So even this year, with only the two of us, that’s what we’re having Sunday . . . and Monday . . . and Tuesday. . .

 

[OldCAFMember]

We have lamb for our Easter dinner each year at my house. I see it as the defining Easter dish, and I love eating the leftovers all week. Others in the family prefer ham, but I always joke and say lamb is Catholic and ham is Protestant.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I don’t mind the taste of lamb, but I’m in the “lamb too cute to eat” category, so I have it only once or twice a year, often in some country like Ireland/ Iceland/ Australia where lamb is a major meat animal. My husband hated lamb so neither I nor his family ever served it at a family meal.

My mother had it for Easter a couple times when I was growing up. She ordered some “leg o’ lamb” from the butcher once for Easter and sent me to get it on my bike. She was expecting a small roast, but there had been some misunderstanding and what the butcher actually provided was the whole hind quarter of the lamb with leg hanging down. It wouldn’t fit in my bike basket so I had to balance it on top with the leg dangling all the way home, and Mom was pretty shocked to see how big it was. I think after that she served ham.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

So even this year, with only the two of us, that’s what we’re having Sunday . . . and Monday . . . and Tuesday. . .

I carried on the tradition by buying pre-sliced honey deli ham and some rolls from the grocery. I’ll be having a ham sandwich or two on Easter and probably use it all up.

 

[OraLabora]

We often do lamb. My wife is Anglican but we both love lamb. We do turkey at Christmas, and chicken at Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is not as big a deal in Canada as the US, and is celebrated in October.

Since usually there’s just the two of us, or only one of our kids visiting, the local one, if we had turkey we’d be eating leftovers until the next turkey at Christmas.

 

[Phemie]

We’ve always done turkey at Christmas — except that first year we hosted both families and I decided to serve curried chicken and all the trimmings. Nobody was impressed. Except me because I prefer curry to turkey.

But we have turkey a bit more ofter since my local Co-op will cut one in half for me. My main reason for having turkey is to have cranberry sauce and cranberry relish.

Thanksgiving was never a big deal in my family. That was the weekend we spent with a babysitter and my folks and their friends went hunting.

 

[OraLabora]

Ugh curry. I LOATHE curry!

 

[MockSock]

I love curry but curry for Christmas dinner? Shocking.

 

[Phemie]

I love curry but curry for Christmas dinner? Shocking.

Every weekend while I was in nursing school I was a live-in sitter for an Indian family. Everything eaten during the week tasted blah! I’d eat curry every day — well, maybe Interspersed with the odd Korean meal.

 

[Phemie]

Ugh curry. I LOATHE curry!

Well, at least we both share a love for the Abbey.

 

[po18guy]

Once again, I was unclear. Was not speaking of the meal, or any familiar celebration. It was about the observance of Easter and associated faith-related actions.

The local SDA, for example do basically nothing on Easter Sunday.

That’s all.

 

[TheHolyTrinity]

I really hope you enjoy your family meal. I have planned a Lamb roast for Easter lunch and a Pavlova for pudding. Looking forward to enjoying it and celebrate our Risen Lord! Deo grátias!

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[LilyM]

I’m Australian. When I was a child (I’m late 40s now) lamb was a bigger deal and more common than it is now.

My family have something of a tradition of spitroasting whole animals.at Christmas and Easter. Lamb, when I was younger, was common for Easter. Personally I enjoy it.

Nowadays it is harder to source any lamb in the part of the country where we live, let alone whole beasts. Pork is more common - and seems to be more universally enjoyed as well.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

Much cheaper than lamb. So even this year, with only the two of us, that’s what we’re having Sunday . . . and Monday . . . and Tuesday. . .

…and Wednesday … and Thursday … AND Friday (the Friday after Pascha/Easter is exempt from Friday abstinence in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) … and Saturday … and finally Thomas Sunday.

Honestly, after a whole week of eating ALL the blessed food (paska, butter, yaiyechnik, hard-boiled eggs, kielbasa, horseradish with beets, and especially ham) I couldn’t even think of having ham. I’d much prefer bacon or lamb. Paska is my favorite though, and then yaiyechnik.

My late mother used to make roast ham with pineapples & brown sugar. That’s the only way I like ham. Otherwise, bacon!

 

[Shasta-Rose]

I always make a little pot roast for my husband and me. Some carrots, mashed potatoes, plenty of gravy. And nice left-overs.