Blessing of Easter Baskets
We're still in the Pascha season and celebrating!What's up with Easter baskets? The tradition of Easter Baskets started as a way for the people to show joy and gratitude for the breaking of the fast at Pascha. The foods were consumed directly after Divine Liturgy and were foods which weren't eaten during the Great Fast. Today we bring our Easter basket to Divine Liturgy to be blessed immediately following Divine Liturgy.
What's typically in the Easter basket? Paska bread (bread that is special for the feast), dairy (cheese, milk, butter), meat (ham, salami, bacon, yum), grated horseradish, salt, and eggs (hardboiled and decorated). You'll often see a candle in the basket and a piece of cloth that goes over the basket. From there the basket varies by region and family. You could see wine, candy, cookies, and other treats.
The archeparchy of Pittsburgh has a great explainer on the blessing of the Easter baskets and the symbolism behind each item in the basket.
What's in your Easter basket? Do you do the same foods every year or do you mix it up?