Bella Adams
On the bright feast of Christ’s Resurrection, all living things rejoice and rejoice. Because Christ is risen, and in Him, we too will one day be able to rise to eternal life. Traditionally, to celebrate Easter, every housewife prepares an Easter basket, fills it with food, decorates it with a green bukshpan and a towel, and takes it to church to be blessed. Then the whole family will enjoy the food at the festive table.
So what should be in the Easter basket and what shouldn’t be there? At the very beginning, only the festive bread of a lamb, a symbol of Jesus Christ, was once consecrated. Now, according to Ukrainian traditions, we put Easter cake, cheese, butter, eggs, sausage, ham, salt, and horseradish in the Easter basket.
The first and most important attribute of the Easter basket is the Easter cake
It is a festive sweet bread with raisins. This Easter cake personifies the resurrected Christ and the resurrection itself. It is a heavenly, angelic bread that is meant to feed us with spiritual nourishment in the first place. And sanctify people with it. Making Easter bread is an important and difficult task. It should be made in peace and with a pure heart and thoughts. Every housewife tries to make the most delicious Easter cake according to an old and proven recipe.
The next thing to put in the Easter basket is cheese and butter – the first things
Which are inherent in the very essence of milk. Just as a small child wants milk and its mother feeds it, so cheese and butter are symbols of God’s sacrifice and tenderness towards people. And we should strive for God as a baby does for its mother’s milk. Cheese and butter are arranged in the form of dumplings or put into vessels. A cross or a fish is depicted on top, a symbol of Jesus Christ.
The egg is a symbol of life and resurrection
When a living thing is born out of something unshakable. In our tradition, eggs are dyed. If they are completely in one color, they are called krasanky. If there are many colors and patterns, they are called pysanky. They also depict the symbols of Christ and the resurrection.
Next, ham and sausage are placed in the Easter basket
After a long abstinence from meat food, they show how happy we are for the Resurrection and how much we long for it. It is like in the parable of the prodigal son’s homecoming when the father ordered the fat calf to be slaughtered to have fun. And we also rejoice when we complete the Lenten season and reach the bright feast of Easter.
Horseradish is always put in the Easter basket
Because it makes us stronger. Just as we become stronger after Confession during Lent. Just as horseradish heals the body, so does Easter confession heal the human soul.
Salt is an important ingredient in nutrition
Salt adds flavor to everything. It gives new meaning to every dish. As the Gospel says: “You are the salt of the earth,” we should be a model of piety for others. In doing so, we imitate the Risen Christ.
The Easter basket is decorated with an evergreen bush pine
It is also a symbol of immortality and eternal life because it is always green. They also put a candle in the basket to light it during the blessing of the food. The fire illuminates and purifies everything. An embroidered towel is placed on top of the basket.
For other foods that you want to put in the basket, it is better not to put them there. An Easter basket is not a place for alcohol, cooked beets, or fruit. Leave them at home and eat them with joy. But there is no need to sanctify them.
The main thing is to fill your heart with purity to accept the risen Christ. Then the Easter basket will be moderate and complete. Have a good and happy Easter!
