On seeing a guest approaching they would begin to play, for which they were sometimes rewarded with a small tip. It is said that if Poland ever needs them again, they will rise and serve their beloved country and nation. According to the legend, the father of the mermaid was King Baltic who was the ruler of the seas and the underwater world. As the day began to darken and family members began to ready themselves for the evening meal, a child was sent out to look for the first star in the sky. A traditional meat-free Wigilia meal has 12 courses drawn from forest and ocean, field and orchard, representing the months of the year. Up with the Piwezyny! The legend has remained a mystery even today as it has been said that there are witnesses who have confirmed seeing an enormous snake coming out of the water and upsetting the boats on the river Obra. These grains were considered the most important. On the first day of spring, Polish celebrate the departure (or demise) of winter by the Drowning (and sometimes burning) of Marzanna. People believed that the water female spirits actually missed the human world which they once knew so they wanted to share company with men by encountering them and asking bread, salt, or onions from them. Christmas day was the beginning of the twelve-day period from Christmas which was called Gody These twelve days were observed very carefully, for it was believed among the Polish people that Christmas Day and each of the following eleven days foretold the weather for the equivalent month of the year. The spirit of Dyngus is described in this lively description from the Poznan region during 1800s: Barely had the day dawned on Easter Monday when I woke the boys and gathered some water to start throwing it on the girls. I met a Rodzimowierstwo practitioner living in Portland, ME. Wianki (literally wreaths in English) is an event that can however be traced back to the bygone days of paganism and has preserved some of its original character. Mirrors were turned to the wall so that the soul would not be captured in the room. Easter in Poland: Traditions Through the Ages - The Northern Vox Some customs varied at different sections of Poland, but the importance of the holiday was general in the whole country. 13 Super-Polish Superstitions | Article | Culture.pl On Thursday of the Holy Week, there is a ceremonial washing of the feet of twelve impoverished old men at the church, in memory of the Last Supper. This ceremony is a reminder of the humility with which Christ washed the feet of his disciples. Going back to the earliest, notable stages of history, we may conclude that many phenomena were hard to be comprehended and one of the ways to tackle this was to create a belief system that will put the existence of supernatural powers and creatures forward. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Polish Holidays: Official and Traditional Celebrations On the last night of the wedding, the most important wedding custom of all took place. This is one of the Polish traditions linked to Christianity, whereby splashing water is considered a blessing. "It's how it sounds," I'd say. You can celebrate the Kupala Night in a real olden-days style by attending the event at Pomeranian Dukes' Castle in Szczecin. Skarbnik, or Treasurer in English, is a coal-mining creature with a human form which, according to the story, was a former miner who was called Walenty. When he came back to the village, no one recognized him and he went back to his castle. Polish Easter customs have not changed much during the centuries. Copyright Trafalgar Tours, all rights reserved. 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. It was so essential and played such a vital roll in wedding activities that where other customs have disappeared altogether, the Oczepiny has survived to this day. z o.o. The happy tradition includes many festivities including parades. lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId + '-asloaded'), { attributes: true });var cid = '6354310426'; Wrocaw decided to organise a family event with wreath-floating, starting from 3 pm and lasting almost until midnight. After the receiving of the blessing, everyone stood in a circle around the couple and the mother blessed them with holy water. As summer draws to an end, the Polish Feast of Greenery takes place on September 8th. Although the story of the Three Kings is taken from the apocryphal literature for which strict historical truth is not assured, the love and respect held for these three wise men was so strong, so universal, that the church also paid homage to them. That very night, the archangel Michael appeared in front of him and told him not to doubt himself even for a minute. XI No.1 Spring 1994 by Stan Garczynski. Sometimes the male head of the house himself, in collusion with the perpetrators, let the men into the house himself to have his women folk abruptly awakened and doused liberally with water. A Polish historian wrote of what he called the Oblewania. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Every year around 21st and 22nd of June, when the nights were extra short and the June solstice arrived, pagan people celebrated fire, water, fertility, love and joy - quite a pagan alternative to modern-day Valentines! The crowd ate, drank and danced. The most common decorating technique is so called wax-flowing or wax-melting. It was also the official day for caroling to begin. If you happen to visit Poland the day before Lent, take a gander at the snaking queues outside every bakery. 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. And join more than 6 thousand other people. The Polish believe the girl who gets the most soaked in the celebration will be the first to marry. The oldest form of Christmas caroling in Poland was with the Turon. The first shoe to go over the threshold is that of the girl who will marry the earliest. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. At that time, Leszek the Black is in Krakow but when the news about this unfortunate event reaches him, he quickly decides to go to Lublin and defend his people. Warsaw, Garlands over the Vistula River 23, Krakw, Wianki - a Celebration of Music 23. Polish Traditions (Tradycje Polskie) All Saints All Souls Day, November 1st and 2nd (Dzien Wszystkich Swietych Dzien Zaduszny) Christmas Day (Boze Narodzenia) Harvest Holiday, August 15 (Dozynki) Feast of Greenery, September 8th (Matki Boskiej Zielnej) Feast Of the Three Kings (Trzech Kroli) Palm Sunday in Poland Pisanki (Polish Easter Eggs) It is an ancient pagan tradition held in Poland on the Easter Monday. The main event on the night of engagement was the tying together of the hands of the couple to be married. container.appendChild(ins); var slotId = 'div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-box-3-0_1'; published: Ewelina Nurczyk This traveling mode of entertaining with caroling provided a somewhat lucrative way of making money and/or receiving something sweet to eat. Manage Settings ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Consequently, Catholic Polish believe one must always be ready to accept an unexpected guest, never turning away anyone in need. Pisanki (Polish Easter Eggs) There were numerous variations on this custom, but in whatever form it appeared, the central elements were an uncut loaf of bread and a white towel or scarf. var container = document.getElementById(slotId); Wianki - ancient Polish tradition in modern times Despite their religious beliefs, several Polish traditions are rooted in Pagan rites. His name is celebrated more in some Central European countries than is Christmas itself. The Mermaid of Warsaw tried to seduce the Prince by showing him a beautiful place that he was so marveled by that he decided to build a city upon it. This day became known for generations to come as the holiday which strengthened family ties. The Legend of King Boleslaw and his Knights, 3. Verm also is familiar with cases in which being public didnt serve the individual well, highlighting a difference between the urban and rural experience. 8 Common Belief Systems in the Modern Pagan Community - Learn Religions He won and released the captives. Rogalinski downplays the official number of Rodzimowiercy (4-5,000 people); his own figure of up to 2,000 is based in part on activity, not just on self-identification. The myth about the Polish Eagle is one of the most recognized in Poland since this bird is the symbol of the Polish Republic and it is also a focal element in the Polish crest and the Polish coat of arms. An important part of the funeral ceremony were the feasts, called strawa in the old Polish tradition, and from the 16th century on, the Latin stypa. var lo = new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent); The Kutia was made from hulled barley or wheat, which was cooked and sweetened with honey. Photo 86715707 Wideonet | Dreamstime.com Ash Wednesday Religious freedom is a right in Poland, and a group of 100 people can form a church, carrying with it lower taxes and the ability to teach thereligion in a school setting. The men crept through a window or through a chimney. All the events above are free of charge. Because one year is not nearly enough. Pagan religion is the default operating system of the human soul, so much so that I believe the essence of it is hardwired in some way. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The native religion of Poland could be a mixture of Catholicism with the old, Pagan customs and practices, including the magical ones, said Verm. In the more well-to-do-homes this was 11 or 13, with 13 being the preferred number as it represented the number that sat down at the Last Supper. They visit the boys and sprinkle them with water. If a young lad would catch the wreath that was made by his beloved he could ask for her hand. In old Poland, it was so significant that only after the Oczepiny, and not the church ceremony, that the man exercised his marriage privileges towards his new wife. ins.dataset.adClient = pid; Satanic Temple candidate loses primary bid, https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/. In case of a serious threat or catastrophe in the mine, the Treasurer shows up to warn the miners by flickering a lamp, appearing in front of them, or hitting the ground strong enough so they could hear him. Janoshik was the staple character of many novels, films, and poems in modern times. According to the legend, the brothers Lech, Czech, and Rus were hunting together when each of them headed to a different direction where they would later settle and establish their tribe. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. He first encountered the tradition in 1978, before it had acquired the standardized name. On Holy Saturday afternoon, the mother of the family or an older child carries a basket filled with eggs, hams, sausage, pastries and Easter seasonings to be blessed by the parish priest. 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. While part of the Polish custom bonfires, singing and dancing resembles other celebrations all over the world, the traditional wild flower crowns and fortune-telling rituals date back to Slavic paganism. When the graves are decorated and countless flickering frame cast their haunting shadows amid the dusk, the mood is set for an outdoor service and prayers for departed souls. Get 1-2 emails a month with the latest articles on Slavic culture, mythology and history. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); We are the most comprehensive English language resource dedicated to educating the world about ancient Slavs and modern Slavic nations alike. Adherents tend to use a reconstructionist methodology to rebuild their native faith, which has not spread through the English-speaking world as widely as some other European-based Heathen religions. The wedding feast also followed established traditions. var ins = document.createElement('ins'); It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that reconstruction became widespread by comparing Slavic data with data from other Indo-European (Baltic, Iranian, German, etc.) The Legend of King Boleslaw, the Brave, and his Knights is about a mighty and courageous ruler who has united Poland and exalted her state power. Religion in Poland - Wikipedia One of them carried a large homemade star on a long pole that was lit from within by a candle, so that it could be seen in the dark of night. In every house, from the richest to the poorest, the table is spread with food that is blessed on Holy Saturday. Fortune telling, singing, and general merriment might round out this thoroughly enjoyable evening. The entire family washed themselves in this water in order to assure plenty of money for the rest of their lives. All Saints All Souls Day, November 1st and 2nd A relic of the pagan Dziady ceremony is the Rkawka holiday, which derives its name from a man-made mound which eggs were rolled up, as a symbol of resurrection. The citys name was, of course, Warsaw. Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click JOIN. Due to the tradition of eating fatty or sweet foods before the start of Lent, which calls for fasting, Poles have adopted the custom of eating paczki, or Polish donuts. From the PGST News Vol. If you require more information please view our. Easter observances in Poland actually begin on Ash Wednesday, when kocanki or bazie are cut and placed in water. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); container.style.maxWidth = container.style.minWidth + 'px'; According to folklorists, the reason why these creatures are presented in the common nature surroundings of people is that in the past conditions in nature were so harsh that people focused stores on the hardships that they had to face and overcome. [Photo credit: Laszka]. The wreath, arriving only once a year, was cherished and given much care. What do Polish cities have in store this year? Quite often forgotten and preserved only in some rural areas, the celebrations surface now in the 21st century as another idea for a fun summer activity. 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.
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