Easter in Poland

Author: Adam Topór

Easter (Passover) - the oldest and most important holiday commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Weeks preceding it, which is the most important time of remembrance for the events of the Christian faith, is called Holy Week.

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So Easter is a movable feast: it may fall at the earliest on March 22 and no later than April 25. From the date of Easter is linked to the term most moving Christian holidays, including: Ash Wednesday, Lent, Easter Triduum.

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Easter Sunday is the first day of Easter.

In Poland, solemn Resurrection is celebrated and it dates back to its medieval traditions.

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The priest goes to the tomb of the Lord, where a solemn procession sets off with the song "Merry us to this day has come" and is celebrated three times a temple, proclaiming the victory of Christ to the world. After the procession there is a solemn Mass celebrating Easter.

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MenuEaster breakfast

Rabbit

Smigus-dyngus

Easter eggs

Palm Sunday

Easter palms

Jesus Palm

Pucheroki

Burning of Judas

Procession

Way of the Cross

Turki

Barabanienie

Beggars Śmigustne

Easter breakfast

After returning home, your family sits together to celebrate Easter breakfast, which starts with making the wishes and sharing with ”Święconka” . On the tables there are: eggs, ham, baby Easter and special cakes. Tables are decorated with bunches of catkins, and the first spring flowers.

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Rabbit

In some regions such as Silesia, parents hide some baskets with candies and gifts form the Easter Bunny. They usually do it outside the house and children have much fun ctrying to find these presents.

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Smigus-dyngus

Easter Monday (also called ”Śmigus-Dyngus)” is the second day of Easter holidays.

In Polish tradition, there is a custom of pouring water on people, even strangers. It refers to the ancient pagan practices, merging with a symbolic awakening of nature to life and every year renewable capacity of the earth to give birth.

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Here is a very important part of traditional dress. It is a garment consisting of trousers, shirts and masks covering the face of "śmierguśnik”. These costumes are sewn by mothers of participants, or are inherited from older brothers, fathers or uncles. Pants and upper part are decorated with colorful frills.

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Easter eggs

The custom of painting Easter eggs comes from a mythical antiquity, and the Slavs were known from the tenth century. It is interesting that originally people adorned only female eggs, while the act itself was one of the conditions of continuity of the world.

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Today, all the colored eggs for Easter are called Easter eggs. Themes for shell had also its own symbolism. Yellow was a reference to the motives of solar, green spring signified rebirth of nature and love. Crimson and white is a sign of respect for the spirits of caring for a home.

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Palm Sunday

The Great Week starts. The origins of the procession of palms are found in Jerusalem. On Sunday afternoon, people gathered on the Mount of Olives, where they sang hymns and read Scripture. After the Gospel, after the entry into Jerusalem, the procession was moving to the city. Children, even the smallest, held in their hands branches of palm trees or groves.

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Procession of palms is adopted throughout the Church. During Mass. read a description of the Passion of Christ today. After the words "and gave up his spirit," interrupted the reading, and all remain in silence for some time.

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Easter palms

Exercise has a rich tradition of Easter palm. In Poland, the annual competitions are held on the longest and most beautifully executed palm. Palm trees reach a height of several meters, and must stand alone. Made of wicker, may not contain any metal parts. They are decorated with flowers. Apart from Poland, this custom has survived in southern Germany and Austria.

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Burning of Judas

One of the traditions that have almost disappeared is hanging, burning and melting dolls depicting biblical Judas. According to many scholars it is a pagan rite christianized version of melting madder. Once the custom was widespread, especially in the region of Małopolska, now preserved mainly in the memory of the people and the few, the last living traditions in the vicinity of Przemyśl.

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Jesus Palm

Another tradition associated with the Palm Sunday procession was Jezus palm, also known as Donkey palm. A wooden figure of Christ on a donkey, was imported from-wheelchair - thus recreated Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when people greeted him at his feet thrown cloaks and palm branches and the words "Hosanna.

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Procession of the Passion „Arcybractwa”

On Good Friday in the Franciscan church in Krakow there is no standard for the procession - dressed in black robes and hoods with the notches on the eyes, the members of the Passion fraternity celebrate the cloisters of the Franciscan church. Brother followed by the most senior at the forefront, carrying the cross, the brothers go after him, holding the hands of the skull. During the procession members repeat the password: "Homo Memento Mori" - "Remember, O man, to death."

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Way of the Cross

On Good Friday, the shrines called „kalwariami” churches and some monasteries held the mysteries of the Passion of Christ. Particularly strong experience both visual and spiritual way is to participate in the cross, during which he faithfully recreated Jesus Christ is the way to death and burial.

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Turki

According to legend, after the siege of Vienna when the knights returned triumphantly to their homes in a captured Turkish dress, everyone thought it was a raid, so they hid and fled. And it was Easter time, Tombs of the Lord have been edited . This custom is still practiced in several towns, mainly in Rzeszów. They guard the graves, minister to the priest at the celebration of food, take part in the procession.

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Barabanienie

In celebration of the Resurrection in Poland resounded to the sounds of dawn lighted from bangers, announcing the resurrection of Christ to all. In Ilza is different – These are ”Barbaniarze” who announce, drumming on the big boiler the welcoming of Christ. Nobody knows exactly where it came from a tradition of walking the streets of the town and beat the drum. The oldest Iłżanie however, contend that it takes more than 400 years, and barabanienia custom, passed from father to son.

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Beggars Śmigustne

In the night from Sunday to Easter Monday on the streets of several villages in Małopolska appear „strangers” wrapped in straw called Forefathers' Eve „śmigustni” The most famous roam around in the Good Limanowa. Flirting with straw faces are hidden by fur masks, pitched – black stockings, with cutouts for eyes and nose.

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Pucheroki

In villages near Krakow - Bibice Zielonka, Trojanowice, Modlnica , you can still see the flower that is Palm Sunday, colorful costumed guys who have blackened faces with soot, in the high caps and they go from house to house singing songs and asking for minor donations.

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