Fun and festivities in Poland - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Poland is a deeply religious country, and therefore, its residents have a special attitude towards such holidays as Christmas and Easter. The whole family gathers at the festive table on the Christmas Eve. There is always a white tablecloth and a small piece of hay. The table is served to have a place for guests who can unexpectedly enter the house to celebrate. The feast begins when the first star appears in the sky. Then, a candle lights up in the house. People sitting at the table say a prayer and start eating a meal consisting of 12 lean dishes. On Christmas Eve, it is common to exchange thin plates of dough, which you need to buy in the church. It is believed that they are the wishes of happiness and good. The next day, December 25, the Poles go to visit each other and exchange gifts.

Another important holiday for the Polish culture is Easter. On the eve of Easter, the whole family goes to the church to consecrate 7 products intended for a celebration. These are lamb, horseradish, meat smoked products, Easter cakes, eggs, bread, cheese, and salt. These products are placed in a special basket, which is called swieconka. On the day of Easter, you must definitely attend a church service before you start a festive breakfast with a consecrated egg and Easter paska. After this, the holiday starts. The Poles compete with eggs. The owner of the toughest will be lucky throughout the year. The second day of Easter is called Smigus-dyngus, or wet Monday. Children collect a sweet tribute from neighbors. The main feature of wet Monday is pouring each other with water. It’s impossible to stay dry on this day. Besides that, being dry is a bad omen.

Another important theme in the culture of Poland is the memory of the struggle for independence. May 3, is the day of the Constitution of Poland. It was the first in Europe, adopted in the 18th century. November 11, is the day of Independence of Poland. This date was not chosen by chance. On November 11, 1918, Poland appeared on the map of Europe as an independent state. On May 8, people celebrate liberation from fascism. That’s a business day, but thousands of people rush to the grave of an unknown soldier in Warsaw to lay flowers at the memorial. January 27, is another date related to the Second World War. This day is the Holocaust Memorial Day. One of the most terrible concentration camps of Nazi Germany, Auschwitz, was in Poland. More than a million people died there. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

There are quite a lot of cheerful folk festivals in Poland. On January 21 and 22, Grandmother's Day and Grandfather's Day are celebrated. On this day, it is customary to bring presents and pay a maximum attention to relatives. The whole family necessarily gathers at a large table, even if they don’t do that on other days. May 26, is the Mother's Day. Children visit their mothers with traditional bunches of flowers. November 30, is the Day of Andrzejki. This national holiday is one of the most popular among young people. In the evening, they arrange parties, where it’s common to read the fortune. The melted wax is poured into the cold water, and the outlines of the resulting figure determine the future. The New Year's Eve in Poland is called Sylvester, in honor of St. Sylvester. He has captured the Leviathan, which has been supposed to break free on New Year's Eve. That didn't happen. Since then, local residents are celebrating this event. It’s common to wear masquerade costumes.

One of the biggest festivals in Poland is the Jagiellonian Fair, which takes place in Lublin in August. It attracts thousands of tourists from all over Europe. It features festivities and theatrical historical performances. An amazing and incredibly colorful event, Wesele Kurpiowskie, is held in Kadzidlo in June. That’s a reconstruction of the old wedding ceremony, which takes place every year. Hundreds of fictitious couples take part in the wedding ceremony held in a historical manner. Another authentic holiday of Poland is the Folklore Festival of the Mountain Lands in Zakopane. A huge number of bands from all over the world come to the festival. The main condition is that they must represent the culture of the mountain people.