description of eastr tradition

1. EASTEREASTER
TRADITION AND CUSTOMSTRADITION AND CUSTOMS
Przedszkole Samorzadowe w ZPO w Woli Filipowskiej
The publication created on behalf of project Erasmus+ „My Culture, Your Culture, Our Culture”

2. Polish Easter Traditions
It is the oldest and the most important Christian feast in Poland, celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. It is a movable feast. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon in
spring (from 21 March to 25 April).
Easter in Poland is very colourful, accompanied with joy and numerous religious and folk customs.
In Poland, a country where Roman-Catholic religious practices are still widely present,
Easter happens to be one of the most beautiful celebrations in the calendar. It is a beautiful
symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ but also nature coming back to life after a long and
tiring winter.
For many people spiritual preparation for the holiday starts with the Great Lent 40 days
before the actual Resurrection Day. Traditionally, during Lent people were not supposed to eat
meat, sweets, alcohol and tobacco in their diet and stick only to light foods and small portions.
Historically, that might have also been caused by the long winters, thinning supplies and food
rationing introduced to sustain till the end of winter. Until recently, the tradition has been deeply
rooted within the Polish culture. There is even a saying: “A Pole prefers to break his hand than to
break Lent”.
The week preceding Easter, during which the Church commemorates the most important
events for Christianity, is called the Holy Week. Its most important part is the Paschal Triduum
(starting with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday and ending with the Easter Vigil
on the evening of Holy Saturday). On Sunday at dawn, Sunrise Service is held – a solemn mass
with a procession, during which worshipers rejoice over the Resurrection of the Lord.

3. Palm Sunday
As Lent is coming to an end, a week before the Easter weekend is Palm Sunday (Niedziela
Palmowa) also called Kwietna (Flourishing) or Wierzbna (Willow – from the weeping willow’s
branches used as palms) commemorating Jesus Christ’s visit to Jerusalem.
Palm Sunday is the last Sunday before Easter and the first day of the Holy Week. In churches,
participants bless palms made of willow birches, branches of box trees, raspberries and currants
adorned with flowers, moss, herbs and colourful feathers. Household members are symbolically
whipped with the palm, which is meant to bring them good luck for the following year. Palms stuck
behind paintings or placed in vases protect the house against calamities or neighbours' malice. In
many In line with an old Polish tradition, competitions for the biggest and the most beautiful palm
are organised across the country. One of the best known contests of this type is the one held in Łyse,
Kurpie. The biggest palms are over 10 metres long.
Easter Friday
Easter Friday tends to be a day of pensiveness and preparation for the Easter Saturday. There is also
an evening mass called Droga Krzyżowa (Way of the Cross) where at the end Jesus’ body is placed
in a grave. Each commune prepares the Jesus Christ's Grave – a symbolic place in the church,
where among flowers, rocks and candles lays a sculpture representing the Savior. This follows into
Easter Saturday.
Easter Saturday
This day is probably the most enjoyable for children since every house prepares what in Poland is
called Święconka – a ceremonial basket filled with a variety of foods. Each basket is different in

4. size, shape, decoration, content, however all of them have things in common. Each Easter basket
must have a piece of sausage, bread, salt, pepper, hard-boiled eggs, fresh cress or oats and, of
course, a small sugar lamb. These are the basic requirements but depending on the area as well as
tradition different foods could be found in the baskets. During a visit to a church a priest blesses the
food, water, flame and paschał (a holy candle). The content of the Easter basket must remain
untouched until the next morning – the morning of the Resurrection.
Easter eggs
The eggs, which dominate the Easter table, symbolise life and rebirth. Beautifully decorated, they
have adorned Polish tables at Easter for centuries. Although the methods of colouring and
decorating eggs have evolved, the tradition has stood the test of time. Traditional patterns on Easter
eggs are prepared with hot wax applied to the shell. Eggs are then covered with paint, and finally
the wax is removed to reveal the patterns that have been created. The most common symbols on
Easter eggs include lambs, crosses, flowers and other spring motiphs.
Blessing of the Easter baskets
Holy Saturday is the day of joyful anticipation. On this day, decorative baskets with food are
prepared to be blessed at church. They include eggs symbolising birth and new life, a lamb made of
sugar symbolising the sacrifice of Christ, and bread, salt, cold meat, horseradish and a traditional
cakes. Blessed food is eaten on the next day, on Sunday, after the Easter Sunday Sunrise Service,
during the Easter breakfast.
Easter Sunday - Holy Sunday
On Sunday at dawn, the Resurrection mass is held – a solemn mass with a procession, during
which worshipers rejoice the Resurrection of the Lord.
Easter breakfast
On Easter Sunday in the morning, usually after the mess, families sit down and eat together th holy
breakfast. Tables are covered with a white cloth and decorated with Easter eggs, fluffy chicks, and
catkin or fresh flowers, which create a spring atmosphere. The basket with blessed food is placed in
the centre. Easter breakfast begins with sharing blessed eggs, a tradition with similar symbolic
significance like sharing of the Christmas wafer. On this solemn morning, the food that was blessed
on the previous day is eaten first. Then follow the traditional sour rye soup, meat, stuffed eggs and
for dessert: babka, makowiec, cheesecake or mazurek.

6. Easter Monday
Śmigus–Dyngus – Wet Monday is celebrated on the second day of Easter. On this day,
people splash others with water: both relatives and strangers. There are different versions of the
roots of that celebration but mostly Dyngus Day is related to a popular belief that it is a symbol of
baptism and purification from sins. The tradition derives from old pagan customs related also to the
symbolic awakening of nature and spring cleansing of dirt and illnesses. It is a pretty exciting day.
Lany Poniedziałek (Dyngus Day) also known as Śmigus-Dyngus.
In Polish culture it was an occasion for young men to show their interest in girls by
chasing after them and showering them with water. The most popular girls were adorned and
protected by the chosen boy and the less lucky girls had to put up with endless showers. In modern
times it is a fun day which all teenagers and kids particularly enjoy.
Cellebrating Easter
During all this period Polish families maostly spend time togehther, gathered in their houses, sitting
behind tables, drinking, eating and enjoying easter holidays!
Here is a list of dishes most popular during Easter in Poland:
• Sałatka jarzynowa - cooked root vegetable salad with mayo dressing,
• Gałaretka wieprzowa/drobiowa - pork/polutry jelly with meet,
• Hard boiled eggs (different styles),
• Barszcz biały/żórek - white borscht with white sausage , mashed potatoes and eggs,
• Śledź - herring preppared un many different ways,

7. • Mazurek - traditional Polish easter cake with dried fruit and nuts,
• Baba Wielkanocna - Easter cake in special shape.