Religious and Traditional Festivals
The highlight of the Catholic year is Easter (Wielkanoc), which is heralded by a glut of spring fairs, offering the best of the early livestock and agricultural produce. Holy Week (Wielki Tydzien) kicks off in earnest on Palm Sunday (Niedziela Palmowa), when palms are brought to church and paraded in processions. Often the painted and decorated "palms" are handmade, sometimes with competitions for the largest or most beautiful. The most famous procession takes place at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska near Krakow, inaugurating a spectacular week-long series of mystery plays, re-enacting Christ's Passion. On Maundy Thursday (Wielki Czwartek) many communities take symbolic revenge on Judas Iscariot: his effigy is hanged, dragged outside the village, flogged, burned or thrown into a river. Good Friday (Wielki Piatek) sees visits to mock-ups of the Holy Sepulchre - whether permanent structures such as at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and Wambierzyce in Silesia, or ad hoc creations, as is traditional in Warsaw. In some places, notably the Rzeszow region, this is fused with a celebration of King Jan Sobieski's victory in the Siege of Vienna, with "Turks" placed in charge of the tomb. Holy Saturday (Wielka Sobota) is when baskets of painted eggs, sausages, bread and salt are taken along to church to be blessed and sprinkled with holy water. The consecrated food is eaten at breakfast on Easter Day (Niedziela Wielkanocna), when the most solemn Masses of the year are celebrated. On Easter Monday (Lany Poniedzialek), girls are doused with water by boys to "make them fertile" (a marginally better procedure than in the neighbouring Czech Republic where they're beaten with sticks). Even in the cosmopolitan cities you'll see gangs of boys waiting in the streets or leaning out of first-floor windows waiting to throw water bombs at passing girls. Seven weeks later, at Pentecost , irises are traditionally laid out on the floors of the house, while in the Krakow region bonfires are lit on hilltop sites. A further eleven days on comes the most Catholic of festivals, Corpus Christi (Boze Cialo), marked by colourful processions everywhere and elaborate floral displays, notably in Lowicz. Exactly a week later, the story of the Tartar siege is re-enacted as the starting point of one of the country's few notable festivals of secular folklore, the Days of Krakow . St John's Day on June 24 is celebrated with particular gusto in Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan; on the night of June 23/24 at around midnight, wreaths with burning candles are cast into the river, and there are also boat parades, dancing and fireworks. July 26, St Anne's Day , is the time of the main annual pilgrimage to Gora Swietej Anny in Silesia. The first of two major Marian festivals on consecutive weeks comes with the Feast of the Holy Virgin of Sowing on August 8 in farming areas, particularly in the southeast of the country. By then, many of the great pilgrimages to the Jasna Gora shrine in Czestochowa have already set out, arriving for the Feast of the Assumption (Swieto Wniebowziecia NMP) on August 15. This is also the occasion for the enactment of a mystery play at Kalwaria Paclawska near Przemysl. All Saints' Day (Dzien Wszystkich Swietych), November 1, is the day of national remembrance, with flowers, wreaths and candles laid on tombstones. In contrast, St Andrew's Day , November 30, is a time for fortune-telling, with dancing to accompany superstitious practices such as the pouring of melted wax or lead on paper. St Barbara's Day , December 4, is the traditional holiday of the miners, with special Masses held for their safety as a counterweight to the jollity of their galas. During Advent (Adwent), the nation's handicraft tradition comes to the fore, with the making of cribs to adorn every church. In Krakow, a competition is held on a Sunday between December 3 and 10, the winning entries being displayed in the city's Historical Museum. On Christmas Eve (Wigilia) families gather for an evening banquet, traditionally of twelve courses to symbolize the number of the Apostles; this is also the time when children receive their gifts. Christmas Day (Boze Narodzenie) begins with the midnight Mass; later, small round breads decorated with the silhouettes of domestic animals are consumed. New Year's Eve (Sylwester) is the time for magnificent formal balls, particularly in Warsaw, while in country areas of southern Poland it's the day for practical jokes - which must go unpunished. The Christmas period winds up with Epiphany (Dzien Trzech Kroli) on January 6, when groups of carol singers move from house to house, chalking the letters K, M and B (symbolizing the Three Kings Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar) on each doorway as a record of their visit. The chalk marks are usually left untouched throughout the coming year, thereby ensuring good fortune for the household.
Outdooring activities and otherBritt W says "Never give up. Keep your nevers of skill to your head. Be force. Stay safe and have fun. or email me at kwlmusic@aim.com ! Thanx!
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