Let's Help Students Learn via Traditional Games: Customs and traditions in Poland -part 2. Easter

Easter

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday .On this day , in the holy churches children willingly bring colored palm trees which are made at schools.

Holy Saturday is a day of joyful expectations .On this day eggs are painted and put in a special basket. We should put eggs ,bread, cold meat and a lamb ( made of sugar ) on a white napkin in the Easter basket. We usually decorate baskets with Spring flowers.

On Sunday morning, beautifully laid table is covered with colored eggs, cold meats, coils of sausages, ham, yeast cakes, pound cakes, poppy-seed cakes, and in the middle of it all, a lamb made of sugar, commemorating the resurrected Christ. No smoke was permitted; therefore no warm meals were served. Horseradish was mixed with beets, traditionally present on polish Easter tables. Sharing a boiled egg with one’s relatives is a national tradition. A piece of egg with salt and pepper, consecrated by priest, is an inseparable accessory in the good wishes we extend to each other at Easter. Each member of the household received also a piece of the consecrated bread. When spread with horseradish, it was supposed to give protection against throat diseases and against illnesses and complaints.

Cakes were very important ingredients of Easter breakfast: gigantic cakes called “baby”, as well as “mazurki” were prepared only for those occasion. The “baby” were either plain vanilla, steamed, saffron-flavored, grated with egg yolk, almond flavored, layered, chocolate-flavored, fluffy, lemon-flavored, bread-like, or many other different kinds.“Mazurek” is a flat cake, usually on a pastry or a wafer, covered with paste of nuts, almonds, cheese etc., colorfully iced and decorated with jam and nuts and raisins. On top of this, imaginative decorations were placed, such as eggs of icing; willow branches made of marzipan, chocolate flowers, and other delicacies. Artistic letters made of cream read “Hallelujah” – joy of the Resurrection. The list of possibilities making “mazurek” cake are endless, ranging from almond flavored, marzipan, chocolate, raisins, nuts and figs, poppy-seed, orange, crumbly with wine or vodka, apple, French-style, layered, and many others.

Wet Easter Monday

In Poland, Easter Monday is known as Wet Easter Monday and is celebrated as Śmigus-Dyngus Day (SHMEE-gooss DIN-gooss) when boys try to drench girls with buckets of water, squirt guns, whatever's available. In some towns, they use twigs to switch the girls. The tradition has it if a girl receives a drenching or switching, she will marry within the year. I imagine, over the years, more than one young lady with marriage on her mind has allowed herself to be caught!