Traditional Easter Basket Blessing Explained - A Beautiful Way to Celebrate Christ's Resurrection Easter with Prayers to Bless Your Easter Food!
Blessing of the Easter Basket is a centuries old tradition of Christians around the world and particularly in Europe.
Baskets containing a sampling of Easter foods are brought to
church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood or pussy willows, typical Easter evergreens.
Baskets containing a sampling of Easter foods are brought to
church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood or pussy willows, typical Easter evergreens.
Preparing a decorative basket with linens, occasionally embroidered for the
occasion, and some boxwood and ribbon woven through the handle.
Observing the beautiful foods and creations of other parishioners is one of the special joys of the event.
In some older or rural communities, the priest visits the home to bless
the foods. The vast majority of parishioners in visit their local
church on Holy Saturday.
occasion, and some boxwood and ribbon woven through the handle.
Observing the beautiful foods and creations of other parishioners is one of the special joys of the event.
In some older or rural communities, the priest visits the home to bless
the foods. The vast majority of parishioners in visit their local
church on Holy Saturday.
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Blessing of Food. The Blessing of the Food is a festive occasion. The three-part blessing prayers specifically address the various contents of the basket, with special prayers for the meats, eggs, cakes & breads.
Prayer for the Blessing of the Breads and Holiday Baked Goods:
Living bread You descend from heaven and give life in the world, bless, this bread as a souvenir of the bread that you fed to those who listen to you. Persistent in the wilderness and who took your holy and venerable hands to transform it into your Body. Amen.
Prayer for the Blessing of the Meats and Sausages:
Lamb of God, you have overcome evil and conscientiously
a world of sins, bless this meat, meats and all the foods we will eat. They ate as a souvenir of the paschal lamb and dishes that you have eaten with Apostles at the Last Supper. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Prayer for the Blessing of the Eggs:
Christ, our life and resurrection,
bless this sign of new life, that we may, sharing them with family, relatives and guests, also share the joy of you with us. Let us all come to your eternal feast Father's house, where you live and reign forever, and ever. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
The priest then sprinkles the individual baskets with Holy Water. In some parishes, the baskets are lined up on long tables; in others, parishioners
process to the front of the alter carrying their baskets, as if in a Communion line. Some older generation would bless whole meal
quantities.
Image: Vladimir Alexiev, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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