Annual blessing of the baskets

By LINDA M. LINONIS

linonis@vindy.com

youngstown

Monsignor Peter M. Polando has added a custom to the ritual of blessing of Easter foods.

The pastor of St. Matthias Church, 915 Cornell St., said he asks members to share something from their baskets — bread, kolbasi, eggs — with new members of the church who are accepted at Easter. “It shows that we are welcoming them into the parish,” he said.

The tradition of having foods blessed that will be eaten at the Easter meal remains a popular and well-attended event at the church of Slovak heritage. In fact, the church had three separate ceremonies for blessing food baskets on Holy Saturday. Many other churches in the Valley also conduct blessing services.

“In my family, we still use a cloth made by a great-aunt,” Monsignor Polando said of the covering for the basket. Many cloths were hand embroidered by great-grandmothers, he said, and are treasured for this special use.

Monsignor Polando said the Catholic church does have a ritual for blessing of food. He said during Lent, the time that precedes Holy Week and Easter, is one of fasting and abstaining. “The first meal of Easter typically would have foods that weren’t eaten during Lent such as kolbasi and cheese,” he said.

He said Scripture readings recount the Israelites’ hasty departure from slavery in Egypt and the symbolism of Passover. It includes references to blessing of foods and their meaning, such as the sacrificial lamb, which for Christians, is Jesus, the lamb of God.

Monsignor Polando said food baskets are blessed with holy water. Some baskets are “Americanized” and contain wine or beer. He said these foods traditionally fill the basket:

Eggs. Decorated eggs symbolize new life in Christ.

Pascha. The sweet Easter bread is made from yeast, eggs and butter. It symbolizes Christ as the bread of life. It often is decorated with a cross.

Sausage. The spicy pork product, symbolic of God’s generosity, is an ethnic addition. Links of sausage mirror the chains of death, which Jesus overcame.

Bacon. An uncooked piece stands for the overabundance of God’s mercy.

Ham. A meat popular with Slavs appreciated for its richness and symbolic of the joy of Easter.

Cheese. A custard-type is included to indicate the moderation that Christians should demonstrate.

Horseradish. The bitter herb represents the bitterness of suffering endured by Christ that culminated in the Resurrection.

Salt. The seasoning is about flavoring our life, following Jesus’ example.

Butter. The dairy product is shaped into a lamb, which symbolizes Jesus as the Paschal lamb.