Easter in Cleveland

Thursday marks the end of the Lenten season and the beginning of the celebration of Easter for thousands of Cleveland area Christians. Easter, the cornerstone of the Christian faith, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago.

Thursday is "Maundy Thursday," the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus and his twelve apostles sat down to their Passover feast and he said goodbye to his friends and followers. Later that evening he was betrayed by Judas, arrested, and tried. Most area churches have Thursday evening communion services to mark this event.

"Good Friday" marks the day that Jesus was killed. Most area churches have solemn services throughout the day.

Easter Sunday is a joyous occasion. The celebration of the promise of Christ: that life is eternal.

I've always been fascinated by the different ethnic traditions surrounding the Easter Holiday. My Scotch-Irish grandmother always baked hot-cross buns (pictured below) for Easter, the cross signifying Jesus' cross. My German grandmother started early and made pickled eggs and beets, the eggs a widely used symbol of rebirth.

Until recently, I lived in Cleveland's Slavic Village area, a neighborhood steeped in Polish traditions. One of the most charming of these is the blessing of the baskets at St. Stanislaus church the Saturday before Easter. Called a swieconka basket, it is filled with the food to be used for Easter breakfast. Each basket is different, but the basics include fine linen (symbolizing the shroud of Jesus), eggs, a single candle (representing Jesus as the "light of the world"), ham or fresh kielbasa, loaves of fresh bread (Jesus' body as in the communion service), and an evergreen garland (symbolizing everlasting life.)

For more information on Easter:

• From the About Guide to Catholicism:
  What is Easter?
• From the About Guide to German:
  Easter Customs in German-Speaking Europe
• From the About Guide to Italian:
  Easter in Italy

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