One of my favourite things about Easter (aside from the delicious food!) is getting our family Easter basket ready. Easter is all about gathering with friends and family and traditions like these get me excited for the holiday every year.

Coming from a Polish background, the Easter basket is enriched with old traditions that have been passed down for centuries. The basket is filled with the typical goodies (chocolate, decorated eggs etc.) but additional items are added in which each represent a specific meaning (described more below). As a child, I always loved the trip to the European grocery store to help pick out all the items we were adding in. Obviously I would always sneak some additional chocolate in – for good measure of course. Once the basket was put together, it was taken to be blessed before being used for Easter morning. Another favourite memory for me was the drive home after blessing. That Easter basket never stood a chance! My brother would go straight for the meat, my sister and I would split up some chocolate, someone got the bread and that was usually how it went down every year. We all had good intentions – but it never made it home in one piece!

Over the years our baskets have changed with a mix of traditional and non traditional included but the overall theme stayed the same. Some of the important items that are added in:

1. SALT & PEPPER – Salt is added as it is an element in our physical life and as a reminder that people are the salt of the earth. It can also represent durability, prosperity or purification in life. On a side note – how adorable are these salt and pepper shakers in the basket!? I borrowed them from my mom but I am not sure I will give them back!

2. HAM/SAUSAGE – Usually a small cooked ham is added into the basket or a sausage of sorts. Since we prefer not to eat pork in our house I added in a chicken kabanos (a long thin Polish sausage). Ham/meat is added in to signify great joy and abundance.

3. EGGS – My favourite part of the basket (other than the chocolate of course!) are the colourful eggs. Traditional Polish eggs (called pisanki) are made by purchasing Easter egg sleeves that are shrunk in place on the egg or etching intricate designs right onto the egg . The sleeves come in various colours and patterns and are so easy to put on – wrap them around an egg, drop into hot water for 2-5 seconds and you are done! As for the etching – that is a little more difficult and requires a very steady hand (I have broken my share of eggs!). Every year my parents receive a custom home made etched egg from a family friend – it is amazing to see the different designs! I cannot imagine the time this takes.

In our household we always did a mix of the traditional eggs and of course some fun colour eggs. Then there was the eternal debate on whos eggs would be nicest to go into the Easter basket – somehow we all had “beautiful eggs” according to my parents. I think the competition was fixed but I wont start on that now! Eggs are added into the basket to indicate new life.

4. BREAD – Bread is added into the basket to symbolize Jesus who is the bread of life.

5. SUGARED/BUTTERED LAMB – More popular in the past , butter was taken and shaped into a lamb symbolizing the goodness of Christ and the goodness in ourselves that we should have towards all things. Personally I’m not sure when I last saw a buttered lamb but all the European stores have sold sugared lambs as long as I remember. Cute and they last a lot longer than butter!

6. GREENERY – Sprigs of boxwood are the typical greenery that is normally used to decorate the Easter basket with. Unfortunately none of the nurseries around had any therefore I improvised with some fresh greenery from the local flower shop. You can also choose to add colourful ribbon on the handle of your Easter basket. The fresh greenery and pop of colour is a sign of joy and new life as the Spring season is near by.

7. HORSERADISH – Although very popular in our household at Easter we never added it into the Easter basket. My dad makes the most ah-mazing horseradish sauce that we eat throughout Easter and that he bottles home for us because we love it so much! It’s mixed with eggs, sugar and other items which cuts down the harshness of horseradish. Horseradish is added into baskets which symbolizes the Passion of Christ.

8. CHEESE – Cheese sometimes made it into our baskets (and usually got eaten asap after!). It is meant to represent the moderation people should have at all times. This is definitely a good reminder because cheese is my literal weakness!

9. CANDLE – Our family may have added this is occasionally but it was never a staple in our Easter basket. The candle is made to represent Christ being the light of the world.

Once your basket is put together and ready for blessing,  it is draped with a lace cloth. I have a really cute, fun one that was give to me by family but most are a little more traditional and less colourful.

Every family has their own Easter traditions and it’s fun to come together every year and enjoy the holiday together. Creating an Easter basket is such a big tradition for all people at Easter and I love seeing all the different inspirations out there.

What favourite items do you put in your Easter basket?