Vegreville News Advertiser - April 7, 2021

Family Continues the Blessing of Easter Baskets

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Bread is not just a natural food to satisfy your physical body, Christians believe it’s also food for a person’s spirit.

Kolach, symbolizes eternity, and it is one of the several different kinds of food inside of a Ukrainian Easter basket.

Kolach, hard boiled eggs, garlic, sausage, cheese, butter, pepperoni, ham, horseradish with beets, and salt were carefully arranged by Mundare resident Marsha Woloschuk’s basket for her granddaughter Jo Robinson and her great grandson Matvykko to take with them to Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church to be blessed with holy water during mass Saturday, April 3.

Also included in Marsha’s basket was a decorative pysanka that was crafted by Nancy Tymchuk. “The pysanka represents beauty and health,” noted Marsha.

April 3 marked the end of lent, a period of fasting and abstaining from drinking and eating certain foods like meat and dairy.

According to Loaves and Fishes, Joseph A. Grassi says, “To eat bread is to taste the very source of all bread and nourishment which is God Himself because it was God who created the earth, plants, and especially wheat as the staff of life.”

Marsha said you do not eat anything out of your basket until Easter Sunday which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Marsha Woloschuk, middle, with her great grandson Matvykko and his mother Jo Robinson.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

The tradition came from the old country. “I lived on a farm five miles east of Mundare, and the church, (Sich-Kolomea Ukrainian Orthodox Church) was another two miles away. My parents were Orthodox. So, we used to go at 4 o’clock Sunday morning because there was only one priest and he had to bless five or six churches that day.” After they came home from church they would enjoy their Easter feast.

Blessing of Easter baskets is an important part of their faith and a tradition handed down from family to family and generation to generation. Marsha, who is 89-years-old, said it makes her feel good that her granddaughter wants to be involved and continue to carry on the tradition.

Marsha’s granddaughter said, “Personally, it’s about family for me,” said Jo Robinson. “She’s going to carry it on after I’m gone,” said Marsha. “And then I’m going to carry it on,” piped up nine-year-old Matvykko. “Let’s hope so,” replied Jo.

“Usually, my two cousins and their parents from Edmonton come out here. It’s actually really busy this time of year,” said Jo. They have four masses on Holy Saturday at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church. No basket is ever the same and Jo said they normally like to peek into other people’s basket to see what they have in it after mass.

Marsha pointed out, “Some people bring it (the basket) Sunday morning to be blessed.”

Easter Season began Easter Sunday, (April 4) and will last 50 days, ending on Pentecost, (May 23).