ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Parishioners gathered Saturday at the Basilica of Saint Lawrence for a long-standing Holy Saturday tradition: the blessing of Easter foods, a ritual rooted in Eastern European Christian customs and marking the end of Lent.
At the downtown Asheville church, families brought baskets filled with bread, eggs and meat to be blessed ahead of Easter Sunday meals. The ceremony, known in Polish tradition as “Święconka,” is observed in countries including Poland and Ukraine and has been carried on by immigrant communities in the United States.
The baskets are not simply collections of food, but symbols tied to Christian beliefs about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Eggs, often dyed deep red, represent new life and the resurrection, with the color symbolizing the blood of Christ shed during the crucifixion. In many traditions, the eggs are prepared on Holy Thursday using natural dyes such as onion skins…