Blessing baskets
Polish Easter tradition lives on at Whitney Pier church
For Marjorie Ardelli, the memories of walking to St. Mary’s Polish Parish carrying an Easter basket with family is something she will always remember.
“Every year since we were little, our mother would dress us up in our little Polish costumes and she would prepare our baskets,” said Ardelli with a smile. “As we got older, of course, we did our own baskets and now we’re adults with families of our own and we still hold those traditions.”
Ardelli has been attending the Blessing of the Easter Baskets and Easter Foods for more than 50 years, making her attendance for Saturday’s event no surprise.
The 105th annual Blessing of the Easter Baskets and Easter Foods was held at St. Mary’s Polish Parish in Whitney Pier.
The blessing of the baskets is one of the most enduring and beloved Polish traditions on Holy Saturday.
Dating back to the early history of Poland, the blessing is observed by many Poles in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Polish parish communities across the world.
Entering the church, parishioners were given a fresh flower and a copy of the program, which included the words to special Lenten hymns that would be sung in Polish as part of the event.
Meanwhile, before the altar, church members place dozens of brightly coloured Easter baskets filled with special breads, sausages, cheese, eggs, wine as well as chocolate bunnies, all representing a spiritual symbol.
Fr. Richard Philiposki later blessed the baskets and foods, the ceremony lasting for about five minutes.
Following the blessing, Philiposki placed Easter chocolates in each of the children’s baskets, this after the annual Easter egg hunt was cancelled Saturday morning during to weather conditions.
Ardelli said the event is one of the highlights of the year for the local church.
“It’s always so beautiful because it’s so colourful and most of the people are dressed either in their costume or dressed nicely. There’s flowers and there’s baskets and food — it’s a joyous time,” she said.
“I’m sure people can remember when they were little, their mother taking them to church...
I remember waiting for Easter morning and of course the first thing we did was go to church.”
Tom Urbaniak, a member of the parish, said although many Polish customs are held throughout the year, Easter is an important time for the parish.
“It’s a short-but-meaningful ceremony and one of many important customs,” said the Cape Breton University political scientist. “Because it’s associated with the highest Christian holiday, Easter, it’s particularly meaningful for us.”
The event, which marked the second year at the newly rebuilt church, was not only for parishioners of St. Mary’s Polish Parish, but to anyone wishing to share in the traditions, said Urbaniak.
“We’ve been very open and welcoming to the broader community, people of all backgrounds and faith,” he said. “You can see that at many of the events that the parish has — it’s a very open community.”
Along with having their baskets blessed, parishioners were also encouraged to leave an item from their basket to be placed into baskets for Loaves and Fishes as part of the parish’s ongoing commitment to community service.
“We want to make sure that we’re thinking not only about the important spiritual and symbolic meaning behind each of the items,” said Urbaniak. “We remember people who are in our broader community that are struggling in some way and we want to make a commitment to them, not just at Easter, but always.”
As for Ardelli, she wants everyone to remember the importance of religion this Easter.
“This is a time of renewal and a new life and a renewal of your faith and your religion,” said Ardelli. “It’s a happy and fun time.”