Easter traditions in Poland date back to the beginning of the 14th century. They combine folk rituals related to changes in nature and the most important holiday in the Christian religion, celebrated in memory of Christ’s Resurrection. Among the most popular Polish Easter traditions, we should mention Easter eggs and blessing food in a basket. The end of the forty-day fast, nature awakening to life, and Jesus’ victory over death make Easter especially anticipated and solemnly celebrated. Easter traditions vary from region to region but are invariably cultivated from generation to generation.
Easter is full of folk traditions and customs, some of which are still vividly cultivated, and some are disappearing more and more. However, we still bless food, paint Easter eggs, take palms to churches and pour water on Monday. Some customs and traditions of Easter have survived to this day in a slightly modified form. What is the funeral of the sour soup and herring, the hanging of Judas,
Easter folk customs are part of our tradition, so it is worth knowing them, even when they are no longer practiced.
Great cleanup:
The end of winter and the upcoming holidays were a great opportunity to do great cleanup. All household members participated in them. The men were putting the farms in order. Houses were cleaned and painted. The girls made Christmas decorations and decorated the rooms.
The current pre-holiday orders have a different dimension. It is true that there are no smoking stoves anymore and there is no need to “whiten” the walls, but they also require the participation of the whole family. Easter coloring pages made by children make the holidays even more fun.
Egg painting:
Easter traditions in Poland include the custom of painting eggs for Christmas. One of those who were eagerly awaited for a child. It also comes from the Old Slavic beliefs, where the egg was especially important. It symbolized vital forces and, like today, the beginning of a new life. It mediated between the human world and the spirits and gods. Currently, all colored eggs are called Easter eggs, but we should distinguish among them:
Kraszanki – they can be found in the northern part of Poland, known as little bulls. The name comes from the word “krasić”, meaning “to color”, because kraszanki are eggs cooked in a colorful broth – previously obtained only from natural ingredients such as onion shells, oak bark, walnut shells, beetroot juice or young rye sprouts. Various patterns are often scratched on them.
Nalepianki – popular in Kraków and Łowicz, are eggs decorated with colored paper cutouts.
Oklejanki – found in the Masovian part, are blanks covered with rush core and colorful yarn, which creates beautiful ornaments.
In the old days, only women decorated eggs for Easter, and men were not even allowed to enter the room where they were painted! Once they were dyed only red, because according to legend, Mary Magdalene, after Christ’s resurrection, joyfully noticed that all the eggs she bought turned red. Today, the custom of painting eggs for Easter is still alive, but they are dyed different colors.
Palm Sunday:
We are starting the celebration of Easter a week before Easter. Just like before, we celebrate Palm Sunday – once known as willow or flower Sunday. Today we do not bother making our own colorful palms, but we decide to buy a ready one and take it to churches. In the past, palms were made by themselves – from willow twigs, boxwood, currants, raspberries, dried herbs, feathers, and flowers. Magical properties were attributed to the blessed finger, and therefore it was brought home to bring happiness to the family. A cross made of it was stuck into the first plowed furrow to protect against hail, twigs were also put under the threshold to protect the household from diseases, and those stuck under thatched roofs to protect the house from lightning. And the willow kittens from the palm tree … were swallowed! This was to prevent a sore throat and ensure health. With such a palm tree, not only household members were gently beaten, but also animals and belongings, in order to convey the magical powers.
HOLY WEEK:
Easter is a movable holiday – Easter Sunday falls on the first full moon in spring. These feasts take place after a 6-week fast and extend over a number of consecutive days, beginning with Thursday.
- Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday – is also called the feast of priests, because on this day, at the Last Supper, the sacrament of the priesthood was instituted. Everyone knows the Holy Thursday rite of washing the feet of twelve priests by the bishop, which is a reference to the gesture of the Lord Jesus who washed the feet of his twelve disciples. At the end of the Mass. on Holy Thursday, the altar is stripped, all the bells in the church are silent (until the resurrection), and the wooden knockers are heard, symbolizing Judas’ betrayal.
- Good Friday
Good Friday – The Way of the Cross on this day is a special experience. Through all its stations, we accompany the Lord’s Passion. Finally, we place the martyred Christ in the tomb. In Poland, the tomb of the Lord has always played an especially important role. Dressed by local communities, he often conveyed national and pro-liberation motives in addition to religious motives. There are often honorary guards at the grave, consisting of academic and school youth, scouts or even the army. There is a tradition of the so-called “Turks” guarding in the Rzeszów Province, allegedly to commemorate the victory of Poles-Christians over Turks-pagans at Vienna.
- Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday – it is the day of the greatest mourning in the Church. There is a day-long adoration of the faithful at the Tomb of the deceased Jesus. Food is blessed throughout the day. In the past, in Poland, in villages located far from the church, the population would invite a priest to the house of one of the hosts, to which “święconka” from the whole village was brought. The content of the light basket is different in different parts of the country. On Holy Saturday, the blessing of water, fire and Paschal also takes place. Two opposing elements, but so necessary in our lives.
- Resurrection Sunday
Resurrection Sunday – begins with a traditional Resurrection, during which a scene is sometimes played with women and an angel at an empty tomb. The bells in the churches are ringing joyfully with the news that Christ is risen!
The bells are ringing victorious today.
For resurrection!
For the Resurrection!
Even though the Resurrection rites were standardized in the 16th century, there is still a big difference between the village and the city. In the countryside, the sound of the bells, the resounding song “Happy today is here” and the inhabitants dressed in regional costumes make the ceremony more colorful and lively. After the resurrection, everyone goes home for a Christmas breakfast, which includes delicacies from “święconka”. Just like on Christmas Eve we shared the wafer, so on Easter we share the blessed egg, wishing each other health and prosperity and forgiving each other’s grudges.
Drowning of Judas:
“Drowning of Judas” took place in some regions of Poland on the last Wednesday before Easter. . A straw puppet, symbolizing Judas, was dragged through the entire village, thrown with stones. Finally, it was thrown into water and melted.
Food blessing:
The custom of blessing food on Holy Saturday has survived to this day. He is of pagan origin but has been sanctified by the Church. Today in the Church we celebrate only symbolic foods that fit in a small, usually wicker basket. The content of such święconka may also be different, depending on the region. However, there are: eggs, bread, sausage or cold cuts, salt, lamb (made of butter or sugar), horseradish and a piece of homemade cake. In the past, all foods that were to be eaten at Easter breakfast were blessed! They were placed in larger baskets and carried to the church or ordained at the chapel or even in front of the house. Dishes were laid out on white sheets or tablecloths to be blessed by a priest who came especially to the village for this purpose. Such a white sheet was believed to have the power to protect against lightning, so it was spread out in front of the house when a storm approached.
Paschal Triduum:
Holy Thursday is the first day of the Easter Triduum. During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the bishop washes the feet of twelve priests (in remembrance of the washing of the feet of his disciples by Jesus). At the end of the mass, the altar is stripped, and the bells are silenced (until the resurrection).
On Good Friday, in memory of Jesus’ last journey to Golgotha, there are solemn Stations of the Cross, ending with the laying of the body in the tomb. Traditionally, the grave is guarded by firefighters, scouts, and soldiers. The faithful are bound to fast on this day. In the past, in Good Friday , a “funeral of sour rye soup and herring” was organized. After a long period of fasting, the unpleasant fast food was buried in the pit. In some regions, a pot of ashes, symbolizing sadness, was also buried. The herring was also tortured and nailed to the tree.
Holy Saturday is the day when water, fire and thorn are blessed during the service. In the past, the house was sprinkled with water, which was supposed to bring prosperity. Hazel was thrown into the fire, and the ash was scattered during the first plowing, which was a sign of abundance. On Holy Saturday, we bless the food that we eat at Christmas breakfast. Easter baskets decorated with boxwood, traditionally must contain a lamb (symbol of the resurrected Christ), eggs (a symbol of life being born), bread (a symbol of Christ’s body, but also of prosperity and prosperity), horseradish (symbolizing the bitterness of the Lord’s Passion), salt (the essence of truth) , cheese (which is a symbol of reconciliation between man and nature) and grandmother (symbol of skill). All work related to the preparation of the holiday should be completed before the food is blessed.
Easter Sunday breakfast:
The bells at the resurrection mass precede the ceremonial breakfast. The Easter table should be covered with a white cloth and decorated with boxwood twigs. Easter images often show a lamb on a watercress rug. It cannot be missing from the festive table. The breakfast begins with mutual wishes and the sharing of an egg. The dishes are dominated by sour rye soup, white sausage, pates, roasts, and hams. For dessert, Christmas pastries: baba, Mazurek and cheesecakes. And after a rich breakfast, there is an Easter bunny in the form of small gifts. Easter bunnies are most often hidden in the apartment or in the garden and looking for them is a lot of fun.
Śmigus Dyngus:
In the folk dialect it is called “ Wet Monday” . The beginnings of this custom are lost in the mists of time. Some say that the custom of pouring one another with water on Easter Monday comes from Jerusalem, where the opponents of Christianity were supposed to disperse the faithful who gathered to reflect on Christ’s resurrection with the help of water. Others see it as a symbol of mass baptism, washing from sin, and rebirth to a new life. Whatever the reason – there is a lot of fun! Pouring water on girls and smacking them on their legs with rods (shigus) or giving gifts to each other (dyngus) have already lost much of their original dignity but are still widely celebrated both in villages and in cities.
Dyngus and Śmigus were twin pagan deities – the former represents water and moist earth (din gus – thin soup or dingen – nature), and the latter the thunder and lightning associated with a summer storm.
“Dyngus: is derived from German (from the word dingen), which means “to buy out”. However, Zygmunt Gloger saw a similarity to the word dünguuss (splash of water). The term “speed” can come from the German schmackostern or the Polish “whisk”. Interestingly, Śmigus and Dyngus were separate habits for many years – but with time they merged into one so that they ceased to distinguish which one was about. This Slavic custom is also known in Moravia (as oblevacka, or szmigrust), in Slovakia (oblievacka / kupacka), and in some regions of western Ukraine. The practice of dousing oneself with water is also practiced by Mexicans (on Holy Saturday).
