Lent and Easter traditions in Poland include: 1) Fat Thursday and Shrove Tuesday celebrations preceding Lent where Poles eat doughnuts and herrings. 2) Palm Sunday where branches are blessed in church believed to prevent disease, and competitions build the largest palms. 3) Holy Week includes services and reenactments of Christ's passion. 4) On Holy Saturday, Easter baskets with symbolic foods like bread, eggs, and horseradish are blessed in church. 5) Easter Sunday involves a special breakfast after the Resurrection Mass and children receiving gifts from the Easter Bunny. 6) On Easter Monday, boys sprinkle girls with water in a purification ritual called Wet Monday.

1. Lent and Easter
traditions in Poland

2. The end of carnival and the
beginning of Lent
 Lent starts on Ash Wednesday but there are two
celebrations preceding Lent which are worth mentioning.
The last Thursday of the carnival is called „Fat
Thursday” and Poles eat lots of doughnuts (pączki) this
day. Chrust or faworki are also popular this day.
The carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday known as „śledź”
- the "herring feast", after the herrings eaten on that day
as a herald of the coming Lent.

3. Palm Sunday
 It is celebrated to commemorate Christ's
triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The
main attribute associated with that
day are the palms. Despite the name,
they hardly resemble the real palm
branches with which Jesus was greeted
in the Holy City. Typically, they are
bouquets of common box, dried flowers
and willow twigs. Some regions are noted
for particularly impressive palms, several
metres high and decorated with coloured
ribbons, dyed grasses, dried or artificial
flowers. It is believed that a palm blessed
at a mass has special properties; for
example, it can prevent disease. Many
competitions are also organized to build
the highest or the most beautiful palm.

4. Holy Week
 Holy Thursday begins the Triduum - the
time when many people gather in
churches for masses and services of
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and
Holy Saturday. Some places are
especially famous for organizing the
Mysteries of the Passion of Christ
(Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is probably
the most popular among pilgrims every
Good Friday).
 On Good Friday and Holy Saturday
people also come to pray kneeling in
front of Tombs of Christ
 On Friday before the Holy Week people
can also walk the stations of the Cross
in the streets of their cities.

5. Blessing of Easter Baskets
 On Holy Saturday people bring baskets of Easter foods to church for a special blessing.
This typically Polish tradition dates back to the 14th century and is richly symbolic and
beautiful. The basket (called święconka) usually contains the following kinds of food:
bread (a symbol of Christ's body), eggs (symbolize life's victory over death), salt (a life-
giving mineral, once believed to keep away all evil), ham (ensures health and abundance),
horseradish (a symbol of strength, and also the bitterness of the suffering of Christ),a
Lamb (in Polish: Baranek – symbolizes Christ) or a bunny (a symbol of fertility and
rebirth). The food from the basket is eaten after the Resurrection Mass – on Saturday
evening or Sunday morning, depending on the parish.

6. Easter Sunday
 After the Resurrection Mass (usually
on Sunday morning or Saturday
evening, depending on the parish)
families gather to have a special Easter
breakfast. The food that was blessed
on Saturday is eaten. Among typical
Easter food there is also for example
a cake called „mazurek”.
 On this day children get presents
from the Bunny – if it is possible they
have to look for them in the garden.

7. Easter Monday
 Itis called ”Wet Monday” ot śmigus- dyngus in Polish. On this
day boys pour water on girls or sprinkle them with water or
perfumes. Sometimes bucketfuls of water are used, sometimes
just symbolic quantites. It takes place in homes and on the
streets. There is a superstition that the girl who remains dry this
day will not have luck throughout the year. This custom dates
back to pagan times as a symbol of purification.

8. HAPPY EASTER!
 We hope you would like to visit Poland during Easter
time. This was just a short presentation about the most
important traditions. There are some others, typical for
some parts of our country.
Prepared for eTwinning project
BLOGTROTTERS ACROSS EUROPE
by the group from Gimnazjum nr 14 in Ruda Śląska
Poland, March 2013