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easter

Day 27: Holy Saturday 2020

For everyone in the local Polish community, Holy Saturday has meant one thing: a visible continuation of traditions from the Old Country -- the blessing of the Easter baskets. When we began the tradition, the parish pastor had no idea what it was. He quickly learned and just as quickly fell in love with the tradition.

This year, then, was the first Holy Saturday in a decade that we didn't have a basket blessing here in Greenville. In some ways, that made Holy Saturday wholly different. But some things were the same.

That tree in the front yard that I wanted to cut down yesterday? It's now gone, along with my back.

More similarities: there was baking, baking, baking. For whom? For our family. For friends. For our neighbors. For anyone who wanted it, I guess. The difference? The Girl was involved -- not just involved, but insisting on seeing the whole process through to the end alone. Well, almost alone -- moving it to the cake stand was a bit too scary for her.

What else was the same? The kitchen was a disaster area for most of the day.

An artist at work always leaves behind a mess. And one of our culinary artists is better at cleaning up the mess she leaves behind than the other, and I'm much more likely to jump in and help clean with one of the artists than I am with the other. Lessons to learn.

Previous Years

Basket Blessing 2019

Basket Blessing 2018

Baskets 2015

Blessing the Baskets

Day 26: Good Friday

Good Friday is always a work-filled day among Poles, which I've always found somewhat ironic. In some ways, it's the most solemn day of the Catholic calendar, and you would think that devout Catholics -- of which in Poland, particularly rural Poland -- would spend the day in prayer. In my experience, they usually spend the day cleaning and cooking (often things they don't eat because it's a fast day, though Catholic fasting is hardly a discipline compared to some forms of fasting).

Today's job for me: take care of the leaves in the backyard. "After all, it is April," K smiled at breakfast. I wanted to cut down a topiary tree in the front yard that we've decided is dying and needs to come down. I've wanted to take it down for years, but I guess that's for tomorrow.

Easter Vigil 2019

Basket Blessing 2019

Basket Blessing 2018

I never put up the pictures from this year's blessing of the baskets on Holy Saturday.

Easter Party 2018

Easter Sunday Mass 2018

Easter Vigil 2018

Good Friday 2018

Smoking ribs for Easter żurek and a visit to the tomb the Polish community made.

Holy Thursday 2018