Traditional Easter basket and customs of Holy Saturday

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week – the period before the Resurrection of Christ, abounding in traditions and customs known to Christians from the East and the West.

These customs are primarily cultivated on the Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska. One of the most exciting days is Holy Saturday, and a project carried out by the Małopolska Tourist Organisation allows taking a closer look at the traditions of this day in Małopolska.

One of the most recognisable and popular customs is the blessing of food on Holy Saturday. In the Roman Catholic Church, the contents of the baskets in which products are brought for blessing vary in different regions of Małopolska. Nonetheless, symbolic foods predominate: 

• bread – human’s staple food,
• salt – protecting and purifying,
• horseradish – strength, health, the bitterness of the Passion of Christ,
• lamb – innocence, sacrifice, the symbol of Christ,
• egg – a symbol of life and the four elements, the household shares the egg and makes good wishes at the Easter breakfast,
• cake – a perfect form, a reward after the hardships of fasting, a foretaste of heaven.

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