Easter in Poland

2. Shrove Tuesday
The first day connected with Easter is Shrove
Tuesday. Traditionally in English – speaking
countries, on this day people eat pancakes and
organise pancake competitions. In Poland, people
eat herrings prepared in many different ways. It is
the last day for some fun before Lent begins.

3. Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of forty- day
period of Lent – time of fasting, prayer and
penance in preparation for Easter Sunday. In
Poland, people attend church services, where
priests put ash on people’s foreheads to
remind them that they too will become ash in
the end. The ashes come from palm branches
used on Palm Sunday the previous year.

4. Palm Sunday
Holy Week begins with a celebration to
commemorate Christ’s ride into Jerusalem,
where people greeted Him with palm branches.
In Poland, people bring palm branches to
church services, where they are blesses by the
priest.

5. Maundy Thursday
In Poland, people go to confession in order to
take Communion at Easter. They also attend
special services held on this day to
commemorate the Last Supper.

6. Good Friday
People attend special church service to
commemorate Christ’s death on the cross. On
that day, people fast – meat products are
forbidden and they should have only one
satisfying meal that day.

7. Easter Eve
This is the day when Christ lay in the tomb and is
time of awaiting His Resurrection. On that day,
Polish people take food to church to have it blessed.
They bring the food in baskets, which are filled with
hard-boiled dyed eggs – the symbol of new life, ham,
sausages, salt and bread. The blessed food is served
as part of the traditional Easter breakfast the next
day.

8. Easter Sunday
On that day, we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection.
People attend special religious celebration on
church early in the morning. Then, families
gather for Easter breakfast, which traditionally
consists of hard-boiled eggs, ham and sausages.
Families spend the time together eating,
relaxing in the open air and meeting their
relatives.

9. Easter Monday
People continue celebrating Christ’s Resurrection as
it is a day off work and school in Poland. It is a
tradition in our country to sprinkle water on family
members and friends.

10. Easter