CMLLC's Alina Klin comments in a news story on the art of Easter eggs
C&G Newspapers, 2/10
The art of Easter eggs
The holiday that Christians celebrate as the resurrection of Jesus Christ and new life emerging at spring inspires Polish Americans to create the ancient art of pisanki and share their culture, food, folklore and customs. Traditionally, families brought baskets filled with meat, eggs, butter, sweets, bread, wine and horseradish to the church on Holy Saturday immediately before Easter Sunday to be blessed before the food was eaten on Easter Sunday. There are seven must-have items in the baskets. Bread, an essential food in all cultures, symbolizes the body of Christ. Eggs symbolize rebirth. Salt was believed in old times to ward off evil. Hams and sausages symbolize sources of health and fertility. Cheese is a symbol of friendship between man and the forces of nature that guaranteed the increase of the herd of domestic animals. Horseradish is a symbol of strength and physical prowess. Cake is a symbol of the skill and perfection that allowed women to show off their baking skills, according to Alina Klin, professor of Slavic studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Culture at Wayne State University.