WILKES-BARRE — As we observe Easter Sunday, I’m reminded of past years and the principles instilled in us by our parents and community leaders.
Every religion has its own customs, and as a former Catholic, we always prioritized faith and considered candy and the Easter Bunny to be similar to Christmas and Santa Claus.
The treats at Easter and the gifts at Christmas were part of the festivities, but faith always came first.
On Good Friday, from noon to 3 p.m., Catholic kids were not allowed to engage in any activities. No TV, no playing, nothing. My mom would tell me as I complained and pestered:
“Here’s what you can do — sit on the couch and breathe. Prayer is fine. But that’s all.”
So for three hours, I sat quietly. And yes, I prayed — a habit I have maintained every day since then. Some years, we went to the Stations of the Cross at the church and prayed there.
But when 3:01 p.m. came, all the kids in the neighborhood were free to go outside.
The next day, Holy Saturday, my mom would pack food into a wicker basket and we would go to St. Mary’s Church where people gathered to have their baskets blessed. This blessed food would be served first on Easter and we had to have some of everything offered. Then the real traditional Easter meal would be served.
We still do this, thanks to Cousin Claire, who gets a basket of food blessed every year. It’s one of those traditions that I cherish annually.
Attached to this column is a graphic that explains how to put together a traditional Easter basket. Each item is listed with an explanation of its meaning and purpose for being in the basket. The items include: horseradish, butter, kielbasa, bread, salt, cheese, eggs, ham, bacon and a candle. Give it a read. I realize Catholics will get this. And I am sure all religions have traditions as meaningful as this.
There is a religious significance to each food that is blessed, according to this century-old custom:
• The Easter bread, or paska bread, symbolizes the joy of new life given by Jesus Christ.
• The lamb-shaped butter serves as a reminder of the goodness in life.
• The decorated, hard-boiled eggs symbolize Christ’s resurrection.
• Kielbasa indicates God’s favor and generosity.
• Horseradish symbolizes Christ’s end of suffering and death.
• Ham symbolizes the joy and abundance of Easter.
• Cheese indicates moderation.
• Bacon symbolizes the over-abundance of God’s mercy.
• And salt reminds Christians that Christ is essential to their souls, as salt is essential to their bodies.
And of course, Easter marks the end of Lent and for many Catholics, the return of Pizza or ice cream or chocolate or some other item that has been fasted on for 40 days.
And back in the day, as you can see from the photo also attached, Easter was a day for dressing up. My mom went all out for this outfit, circa 1956. Everybody, except me, wanted to take a picture. All I can say is that it was for a very special day.
Easter was church first, food next, then company arriving, then “get me out of this outfit!”
In the past, holidays, especially Easter, were held in high respect. All the kids in the area would take a bath, comb their hair, and wear their best clothes on Sundays. Then we would go to church and sit quietly during Mass.
After returning home, we kept our nice clothes on while waiting for guests to arrive and dinner to be served. We all had baskets full of candy and jelly beans, but we didn't eat them right away.
After the serious celebration and the big Easter meal, it was time to change into our play clothes and open the large Easter basket to start enjoying it.
Chocolate was everywhere, especially the solid kind, not the hollow variety. We would start by breaking into a big bunny or other item and eating it.
There were also some white chocolate items, foil-wrapped eggs, and of course, jelly beans.
These are childhood memories from a long time ago. Even if we didn't grow up in the same neighborhood or town, we had similar experiences, values, traditions, and lessons.
Holidays were always special occasions in the past, focused on people gathering and enjoying themselves.
Easter marked the beginning of spring with warmer weather, April showers, blooming flowers, trout fishing, and baseball tryouts. Those were really special times.
I still yearn for those days and wish I could go back. I would be surrounded by the scent of lilacs coming through my screened window on a spring day.
We had a pulley system attached to a post on our back porch. We would use wooden clothespins to hang our laundry on the bottom line of the pulley system and let it dry in the fresh air.
Please take a moment to remember and have a happy Easter.
