Classics feature honey, nuts, beans, barley and beetroot, fruit, fungi and fish (fried herring or carp, or even stuffed pikeperch). Its the best day of someones life, so why not celebrate twice? In Polish villages, people would scare youngsters with the story about Latawiec that would seduce and get them if they werent careful enough and finally eat them alive. Easter in Poland - Wikipedia The group was followed by all those involved in the harvest. From the PGST News Vol. On Fat Thursday, people line up outside of bakeries to get enough freshly prepared donuts for the day. The belief was that those sitting down to eat must add up to an even number. Sorrowful God - The Sorrowful God is depicted in pre-history sculpture sitting with his head in his hand, peaceful and contemplative. Feast Of the Three Kings (Trzech Kroli) The Warsaw Mermaid is also a renowned symbol of Warsaw and her figure is part of the Polish capitals coat of arms. Polish Paganism - Polish Toledo - Archive of Okana - Poland The Starosta sang a song to open up and the door was opened by the mother who stood before the stoop, sprinkling the married couple with holy water. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Unfortunately my die-hard rabid Catholic Polish grandmother put a stop to it calling it blasphemous, so, unfortunately, I didnt learn anything, which I regret to this day. 13 Super-Polish Superstitions | Article | Culture.pl 04 of 11 . The wedding feast also followed established traditions. At the time, hungry Polish would use a thick slice of bread as a plate and then eat it. The main obstacle is that there is no possibility to have a traditional burial. This traveling mode of entertaining with caroling provided a somewhat lucrative way of making money and/or receiving something sweet to eat. As it isin other countries,thesebusinesses have the potential tobecome networking hubs as the Pagan population grows. Meet the Slavs is your most comprehensive online resource about Slavic people, their cuisine, culture, history, mythology, and more. However humble or intricate, the portable crib always portrayed the mysteries of the birth of the Infant Jesus. There are some clashes, but it is more connected to political rather than religious reasons. Binding all the traditions together are the beliefs in native Slavic gods, theofferings of mead and food (traditionally groats, white cheese, and bread), a code based on principles of honor, responsibility, and courage, and thecircles of responsibility, which centers on family and widensto include community. What would be more surprising to see would be people dressed as goats, horses, roosters, a devil, and grim reaper. Top 10 Polish Wedding Traditions - Meet the Slavs They visit the boys and sprinkle them with water. The water was used to sprinkle the cows in barn and also sprinkled on the family, awakening them in this manner. Sw. Mikolaj does not live at the North Pole, but up in Heaven. The custom of caroling in Poland, or Chodzenie Po Koledzie, began on St. Stephans and lasted until the Feast of the Purification on February 2. Polish law does not provide it. Our projects & services:Agencja employer brandingSystem rekrutacyjny ATSOferty pracy w finansach. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Written by Magda Marczewska on April 5, 2021 One of the craziest Polish traditions is Wet Monday - also known as migus Dyngus! Native Polish Church - Wikipedia It was decorated with flowers, ribbons, hazelnuts, and the fruit of the mountain ash tree. container.style.maxHeight = container.style.minHeight + 'px'; window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'stat_source_id', 44); Copyright Trafalgar Tours, all rights reserved. We are the most comprehensive English language resource dedicated to educating the world about ancient Slavs and modern Slavic nations alike. Polish Easter Tradations. With the appearance of the first star, the Wigilia meal would begin. St. Nicholas was revered because of his compassion and love for orphans whom he often visited and comforted with little gifts. Wedding traditions demanded that guests be invited in a certain obligatory manner. St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (Sw. Mikolaja albo Mikolajki) All told, while laws and aspects of the culture present very real obstacles for Polish Pagans, the small community does enjoy the freedom to practice and continues to eagerly expand despite the very large shadow of the countrys dominant religion. They usually began at the manor house or church rectory and made stops at various homes. The other form of Christmas caroling was Herody. The practice is symbolic for sending the winter away and preparing nature for spring and its rebirth. Another custom arising from the past, was the belief that spirits pervaded the home on this day. Polish Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations - TripSavvy Today, Leszek Czarny is one of Lublins most popular heroic legends and an ever-inspiration for poets and artists. After the receiving of the blessing, everyone stood in a circle around the couple and the mother blessed them with holy water. So, share them in our comments below, Sign up to our newsletter and receive $250 of FREE Trafalgar travel credit. If the day was fair but it rained or snowed during the night, then it foretold that the first half of the month would be fair but the second half would be damp. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Desserts really steal the show on Easter and often consist of cakes such as babka, mazurek, sernik (cheesecake) and more! Another belief was that whichever one of the bridesmaids touched the bride or her wreath first after the marriage would marry that year. Polish Easter Customs (Polskie Tradycje Wielkanocne) The main event on the night of engagement was the tying together of the hands of the couple to be married. Starting on Good Friday and through Saturday, every one visits the various churches in town to view Christs sepulchers so beautifully and artistically arranged and bathed in flowers. The Kutia was made from hulled barley or wheat, which was cooked and sweetened with honey. One result of Church domination is a form of syncretic polytheism. Then they kindle new fires in their home, to signify the renewal of faith and greeting of the spring. He encouraged him to carry on with his pursuit and told him that he will soon celebrate his victory. The origin of this custom is unknown. The marriage cap was usually a gift to the bride from her godmother. On both days, at twilight, the Poles make pilgrimages to their local cemeteries. If she didnt it was believed that she would cry throughout her married life. Therefore, the crafty nobleman could try out his newly magical persona without paying the price as long as he didnt go to Rome. January uprisingThe last explanation is more recent. Dozynki, harvest holiday, was traditionally celebrated at the end of the summer. Krakus called his sons Lech and Krakus II and tried to kill the dragon with them but they couldnt defeat it so they had to plot a different way to get rid of it. Slavic mythology has different versions of this story and some of them describe the Rusalkas as spirits of dead brides who died of unfortunate events or young womens souls who suffered a violent death, so now they revenge on men that they encounter near the lake where they live. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". All the events above are free of charge. In customs that can be documented back to the sixteenth century, the young couple was most often greeted at the entrance of the house with bread and salt.