POLISH SPRING AND EASTER TRADITIONS AND

CUSTOMS

FAT THURSDAY

The Thursday before Ash Wednesday is known as Fat (Shrove Thursday) to Polish

Christians. It is also called Pączki Day. The most popular dishes are pączki (doughnuts) and faworki (French dough fingers). They are cooked in every house. On this day people eat a lot of sweets, cakes and other caloric dishes.

On that that you should eat fatty food. If you don’t, you will have

bad luck.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. On Ash Wednesday blessed ash is sprinkled on the people’s heads in the shape of a cross.

Lent lasts for 46 days. During Lent Christians avoid bad habits and prepare for Easter.

Drowning of MarzannaThis event takes place on the first day of spring.

Children usually make a doll of hay or straw and old clothes. This doll is called Marzanna. She is meant to be Miss Winter. The children take the doll to the bank of the river. Then they burn it and drown it in

the river. They hope she will not return until the next year.

Prima AprilisApril Fool’s Day (All Fool’s

Day) is celebrated on 1 April every year. It is not a national holiday but it’s very popular in

Poland. It is called Prima Aprillis in our country. On this day people play pranks on each

other. Children like playing jokes. Some of them are fun

and some of them are not. For example, someone can write: “Kick me” on a piece of paper

and stick it to his friend’s back.

Adults also like playing jokes. They may tell their friend that

he must phone the given telephone number because Mr Seal wants to speak to him. Of course the number they give is the phone number of the zoo.

palm sunday

The Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday. It begins Holy Week in Poland. Willow

branches decorated with handmade bouquets are taken

to church instead of palm leaves on this day.

Palm branches represent when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on

the first Palm Sunday and people waved palm branches

welcoming him.

Holy Saturday – the last day of Lent. On that day we go to church with the Easter basket.

The Easter basket is one of the unique Easter traditions

in Poland. The basket is prepared on Saturday before Easter Sunday. The basket is decorated with boxwood. A

typical basket contains symbolic food like this:

bacon, bread, Easter bread (babka), butter, cottage

cheese, colored eggs and a lamb.

EasterFor Polish people Easter is the

most important public holiday. We start celebrating at 6 o’clock. We go to church for the mass. Then we share a blessed hard-boiled

egg (it’s similar to sharing the holy wafer at Christmas) and eat

breakfast.

Wet MondayŚmigus Dyngus

On this day we sprinkle each other with water. It brings good luck throughout the year.

In the past boys sprinkled girls. If a girl was wet on that day it meant she was popular and would get married soon. If she didn’t want to be wet, she had to give some Easter eggs.

EASTER SYMBOLS

AN EGG

An egg symbolizes new life, spring and fertility.

We dye them and decorate. We call them pisanki.

A LAMB

The Easter lamb represents Jesus. The lamb was often sacrificed as offerings to God by the Hebrews. It’s made of bread or dough.

A BUNNYThese animals give birth to many offsprings in spring. For this reason the bunny serves as a symbol of new life.

A CHICKENThe chicks also symbolize new life and re-birth.