1. Easter in Poland
Our traditions
***On the Holy Saturday visits to symbolic tombs of Christ ,that are made in churches,
are traditional in Poland.
*** The custom of colouring eggs for Easter is very important in Poland.
*** On Easter Sunday morning the Christians take part in the procession around the
church and in the holy mess called Resurrection. We also gather to have the Easter
breakfast. First we eat the blessed food from the basket. Sharing a boiled egg with
relatives is a national tradition. *** Cakes are important ingredients of Easter
breakfast: yeast cakes called “baby” and “mazurki” are prepared only for those
occasion.
*** Easter Monday, it is Smigus-Dyngus or Lany Poniedziałek - "Wet Monday".
During all the day, it is allowed to throw water on the others! The best thing is to stay
at home all the day. Formerly, Smigus-Dyngus in the Polish culture symbolized a
popular tradition: men tried to put the water on girls whom they liked, showing them
their interest and feelings. This tradition is still popular in the country.
2. Easter basket
The Easter Basket is one of the unique Easter traditions in Poland. The
basket is prepared the Saturday before Easter Sunday. The basket, stashed
with coloured eggs, bread, cake, salt, paper and white sausages, is taken to
the church to have it blessed. This tradition stems from the belief that the
Great Lent, which is the forty day fast before Easter, is not over until the
basket has been blessed. Easter basket is eaten by the family on the
Easter Sunday Breakfast.
4. Polish Easter eggs
Polish pisanka (plural pisanki) is a common name for an egg
ornamented using various techniques.
5. The custom of colouring eggs for Easter is an important
tradition in Poland.
Drapanki or skrobanki are made by scratching the surface with
a sharp tool to reveal the white of the egg shell.
6. Naklejanki or nalepianki are decorated with petals of
elderberry, scraps of colourful paper (including wycinanki) or with
patches of cloth. Popular in Lowicz and the surrounding area.
Pisanki are created by drawing (Polish: pisanie) on an egg shell
covered with a layer of molten wax, or alternately drawing
designs with wax on a bare egg. The egg is then submerged into a
dye.
