Blessing of the Easter Baskets

Saint Anne Catholic Church and School invites parishioners and friends to bring your Easter basket to the Church on Holy Saturday, April 4 and receive a blessing. 

We welcome all to share in this beloved custom or make this the start of a new Easter Tradition with your family! 

The blessing of the Easter Basket containing the food for the first meal of Easter has been an enduring Catholic ritual for centuries among families of Eastern European origin. 

On Holy Saturday morning, families prepare their Easter Baskets and fill them with symbolic items. The baskets are brought to church to be blessed. After Easter Mass, each family and their guests share their blessed fare and exchange good wishes. 

The significance of Easter is symbolized by the foods chosen and the baskets are filled with:

 - Baskets are lined with a white cloth and decorated with ribbons, flowers and greenery to symbolize spring, renewal and the Resurrection of Jesus. 

 - Decorated hardboiled eggs: represents Christ’s Resurrection. 

 - Lamb shaped butter: represents Christ as the Lamb of God. 

 - Bread: reminds us that Jesus is the Bread of Life. 

 - Meat: Ham – symbolic of great joy and abundance; Sausage – symbolic of God’s favor and generosity; Smoked Bacon – symbolic of the overabundance of God’s mercy; Lamb – represents Christ as the Lamb of God. 

 - Salt: symbolic of prosperity and justice and that we are the salt of the earth. 

 - Cheese: symbolic of the moderation we should have at all times. 

 - Horseradish, pepper, oil and vinegar: symbolic of the Passion of Christ and the bitter herbs of Passover. 

 - Wine: symbolic of the Blood of the Lord. 

 - White Candle: represents Christ as the Light of the World. 

The basket is covered with white linen: symbolic of the shroud Christ’s body was wrapped.