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Polish
Customs and Traditions
Easter ...
The Polish Easter celebrations, beginning with Ash Wednesday. Most of the Poles try to go to the church.
Polish customs
have not changed much
during the centuries,
but due to the rich
variety of many
regional traditions in
Poland, some published
information might be
little different.
Easter
observances in Poland
actually begin on Ash
Wednesday, when pussywillows
called in polish
"bazie" or
"kotki"
are cut and placed in
the water. These
pussywillow twigs are
used later on Palm
Sunday as
"palms" to
be blessed in the
church, because palms
are not available in
Poland. Holy Week (Wielki
Tydzień) begins on
Palm Sunday, which is
a commemoration of
Christ's entry into
Jerusalem. High Mass
features a reading of
Christ's Passion.
During the Great Fast
it is customary to
participate in special
religious observances
such as Stations of
the Cross, Bitter
Lamentations, and an
annual three-day
retreat which closes
with the reception of
the sacraments of
Penance and the
Eucharist. The Easter
season ends on Easter
Monday when the
traditional "Smigus-Dyngus"
custom is observed.
Polish popular
greetings during the
Easter is:
Wesołych
Swiat or Wesołego
Alleluja!
Ash
Wednesday / Sroda
Popielcowa
The
Polish Easter
celebrations,
beginning with Ash
Wednesday. Most of
the Poles try to go
to the church for
the mass, where
priests mark their
heads with a cross
of ashes while
saying: Remember,
man thou art dust
and to dust thou
shall return".
Lent
/ Wielki Post
For
Polish Catholics,
Lent is the most
reflective spiritual
season. During this
time people are
fasting, going
to the confession,
praying and visiting
the specially
decorated churches
to see "Our
Lord's Grave". Each
parish strives to
come up with the
most artistically
and religiously
evocate arrangement
in which the Blessed
Sacrament, draped in
a filmy veil, is
prominently
displayed. During
the Lent most of the
people do not eat
meat on Fridays. The
preparation for
Easter begins with
the six-week period
of Lent, with its
traditions of
Stations of the
Cross and the Bitter
Lamentations
devotion which
traces the Passion
and Crucifixion of
Christ and lead-in
with the hymn of
"Gorzkie żale
przybywajcie",
which means; Come to
us, bitter
lamentations.
Lent ends Saturday
noon, but fasting is
observed until
Resurrection Mass.
Palm
Sunday / Niedziela
Palmowa
On
this day people
bring the puss
willows branches or
other custom made
wild flowers
bouquets instead of
palms to the church
for the blessing.
Some older folks say
that swallowing one
of the buds from the
puss willows branch
will ensure health
all year.
Parishioners
processed with the
palms through the
streets around the
parish, celebrating
the triumphant entry
of Jesus into
Jerusalem.
Blessed
"palms"
are taken home and
placed by the
crucifix or holy
images, and remain
there until the next
year.
Holly
Saturday
On
Saturday people take
to churches
decorated baskets (Swieconka)
containing a
sampling of
traditional food to
be blessed.
Swieconka is very
popular Polish
tradition (see
below). Also this
day typically Polish
ceremonies are
performed in the
church yard. It is
the blessing of the
fire, the reverence
which goes back to
pagan times.
Food
Blessing /
Swieconka
Swieconka
is one of the most
enduring and
beloved Polish
traditions. On
Saturday people
take to churches
decorated baskets
containing a
sampling of
traditional food
to be blessed:
hard-boiled
shelled eggs, ham,
sausage, salt,
horseradish,
fruits, bread and
cake. Prominently
displayed among
these is the
Easter lamb,
usually molded
from butter or
sugar and colorful
pisanki. The food
have a symbolic
meaning, for
example:
* eggs - symbolize
life and Christ's
resurrection,
* bread - symbolic
of Jesus,
* lamb -
represents Christ,
* salt -
represents
purification,
* horseradish -
symbolic of the
bitter sacrifice
of Christ,
* ham - symbolic
of great joy and
abundance.
The food blessed
in the church
remains untouched
until Sunday
morning.
Written
Eggs / Pisanki,
Kraszanki,
Malowanki,
Drapanki,
Wyklejanki,
Nalepianki
The
custom of coloring
eggs for Easter is
still observed in
Polish custom. The
eggs are decorated
with many
traditional Polish
symbols of Easter.
Most popular are
lamb, cross,
floral designs or
Easter's greetings
such as Wesollego
Alleluja.
According to the
Polish folk craft
experts we divide
Written Eggs to
different
categories. The
eggs decorated
with the use of
treated wax are
called "pisanki".
Another technique
involved gluing
colored paper or
shiny fabric on
them. The eggs
which are painted
in one color are
called "malowanki"
or "kraszanki".
If patterns are
etched with a
pointed instrument
on top of the
paint, the eggs
are then called
"skrobanki"
or "rysowanki".
Easter
Sunday / Wielka
Niedziela
On
Easter morning, a
special
Resurrection Mass
is celebrated in
every church in
Poland. At this
Mass, a procession
of priests, altar
boys and the
people circles the
church three times
while the church
bells peal and the
organ is played
for the first time
since they had
been silenced on
Good Friday. Following
the Mass, people
return home to eat
the food blessed
the day before.
The Easter table
will be covered
with a white
tablecloth. The
white tablecloth
is indicative of
the white
swaddling cloth
with which Our
Lord was wrapped
when he was placed
in the Holy
Sepulcher. On the
middle of the
table in most
homes housewife
will put colored
eggs, cold meats,
coils of sausages,
ham, yeast cakes,
pound cakes,
poppy-seed cakes,
and a lamb
made of sugar.
Polish Easter Soup
called Zurek or
White Barscz is
often served at
the Easter meal,
garnished with the
hard-boiled eggs
and sausage. There
is also tradition
to share blessed
eggs with the
members of the
family and wish
each other
good health,
happiness
for the rest of
the year.
[
Old
Polish
postcard
from 1915
with the
girl
who
holds huge
basket
with the
eggs ]
It
is interesting to
mention that a
Polish Easter is
also a holiday for
the housewife. It
is a tradition
that Polish women
do not cook, do
not work on Easter
Sunday.
During this time
the Polish homes
are with its
spirit of joy and
good-will at a
laden Easter
Table, with its
sugar Lamb and its
blessed
multi-colored eggs
called in polish
"pisanki".
Wet
Monday / Lany
Poniedzialek
Monday
(just after aster)
is a holiday in
Poland and is
called in polish
"Lany
Poniedzialek"
or "Smigus-
Dyngus". This
is a wonderful day
of fun.
The ancient Polish
tradition on
Easter Monday, is
celebrated by
everyone with
enthusiasm by
sprinkling each
other with water.
Especially kids
have fun this day.
Some people say
that by being
splashed with
water on Easter
Monday will bring
you good luck
throughout the
year.
