What's in a Polish/Ukrainian Easter basket?
All the Eastern European Catholic churches were packed today with people getting their baskets blessed. I tried to peek inside a few but could only spot salt 'n' pepper shakers, eggs, bread, and wooden dolls. What do you put in your basket and why? I'm curious to know the type of food you include and the symbolism behind it.
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We always put in one of everything that will be on the table.
A cloth napkin that will be on the table, coffee grounds, some milk in a baby food jar... some borscht, hard boiled egg, kielbasa, kraut, slice of ham, slice of bread, salt, pepper...and the head of the lamb shaped pound of butter...my mom would heat up a butter knife, slice off the lamb head, take it to church and then when we got home, re-heat the butter knife and re-attach the head. I now do the same.
and of course a slice of the poppyseed or almond dessert roll.
Symolism for the most part is Lent has ended and you are now eating what you gave up (in a lot of cases it is meat for the 40 days since Ash Wednesday).
