EASTER TRADITIONS IN POLAND

Easter is very important for

Polish people from the religious point of view, as Poland

is a Catholic country.

It is preceded, according to the

religious tradition, by the Lent,

which lasts for 40 days.

The week preceding Easter is the time of the intensive preparations, at the religious level and on the practical

side.It is called the Holy Week.

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. On this day

people go to churches with colourful palms in

their hands to have them blessed by the

priest. This tradition is very alive in certain

parts of Poland. There are even some

contests organised, where the longest palm

wins.

PALM SUNDAY

HOLY THURSDAY

On Holy Thursday we take part in the mass that commemorates Jesus Christ’s Last Supper .

GOOD FRIDAY On Good Friday we

commemorate the crucifiction Jesus Christ. It

is very solemn day and we don’t eat meat.

An exeptional Mass takes place on that day- Way of the Cross - then the last moments of Jesus

Christ`s life are read out from the Bible

EASTER SATURDAY

Saturday, according to the old Polish tradition, is the day when the so called

„holy menu” is blessed by the priest at church. That is the final point of Easter

preparation: houses are already clean and all the dishes for 2-day-feast should be

ready, as when the „blessed food" is in the house, there is not any more right to do

preparation work. It is the time of reflection and vigil in church at the

symbolic tomb of Jesus Christ.

EASTER SATURDAY”Holy menu” – what is it?

It is called „święconka”, in English „blessed food”. It’s a small garnished basket, where people put some hard-boiled eggs, bread, salt, meat, fruit and an Easter bunny, and they take it to church to

have it blessed. The „blessed food” will start breakfast on Holy Sunday.

EASTER SUNDAY

EASTER SUNDAY

Easter Sunday starts with Resurrection Mass at 6 a.m. After that, the whole family

gathers at the table full of delicious things and have breakfast, which starts with a

prayer. Then, the „holy food” is divided into chunks and every member of the family gets

a small piece of it. Only then people can savour the rest of the dishes. Such breakfast can last long hours, as Polish people like to

feast.

EASTER MONDAY

Śmigus Dyngus

EASTER MONDAY

Easter Monday in Poland is known as Wet Monday or Śmigus-Dyngus. During that day, it is allowed to pour

water on others, even some unknown! So the best thing you can do, if you want to have dry clothes, is to stay at home, otherwise you have to take into account

that you may get soaking wet! Formerly, pouring water on unmarried girls was the

way of showing them men`s inerest. The more water the man poured on the girl, the more he liked her!

Then the girl used to thank the boy for choosing her by offering him some decorated eggs!

http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/51,53600,4046488.html?i=0

Polish people observe the habit of decorating eggs. These eggs are

called in Polish „Pisanki” or „Kraszanki”.

They are usually colourfully painted or dyed. They can be also embellished

with wax designs or the patterns can be carved in the shell with the use of a

sharp tool. These beautiful eggs will be then a decoration of the table.

EASTER SYMBOLS

RECIPESWhite borscht soup

-- Polish bialy barszcz or żurek wielkanocny – is typically eaten on Easter Sunday morning and is made with most of the foods from the basket blessed on Holy Saturday.

Makes 6 servings of Polish White Borscht RecipePrep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 30 minutesTotal Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:•6 cups sausage cooking water, fat removed•1 clove minced garlic•2 cups sour cream•1/4 cup all-purpose flour•1 link white Polish kielbasa sausage, casing removed, sliced 1/4" thick•1 link smoked Polish kielbasa sausage, casing removed, sliced 1/4" thick•6 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks and boiled•6 hard-cooked sliced eggs•6 slices light or dark rye bread•Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

•In a large pot or Dutch oven, add sausage water and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. •Fork-blend the flour and sour cream. Temper the sour cream with a little hot sausage water, then return to pot, stirring until thickened. Add sausages, potatoes and eggs to pot and heat until warmed through. Season to taste. At this point, some people add a pinch of sugar or a tablespoon of vinegar. The soup should have a pleasantly sour taste. •Into 6 heated bowls, tear rye bread into bite-sized pieces. Ladle hot soup over bread.

POLISH EASTER BUNDT CAKEEaster Bundt Cake - Babka Wielkanocna - Ania's Polish Food Recipe #13 - YouTube

WE WISH YOU HAPPY AND PEACEFUL

EASTER!

OUR TEAM

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