Folk customs are deeply rooted in our culture. Do we remember all Easter customs? We remember how holidays were once spent.
The celebration of Easter began on Palm Sunday. Then, villagers went to churches to bless palm trees, which, according to folk beliefs, had magical powers. As a symbol of fertility and abundance, they protected households and their inhabitants against fire, disease, lightning, witches – that is, against the evil of the outside world. After the consecration, immediately after leaving the church, palms were touched – “palmated” – wishing each other, among others: until next Easter.
The custom of beating household members with palms was also popular. This duty fell to young boys who visited houses and hit household members in bed with palms, especially girls. Cattle were also hit with a palm during their first drive to the pasture to make them hide well.
In homes, the palm was most often kept behind the image of Saint Agatha, who protected property from fires and famine). Under no circumstances could it be thrown away – at most, it should be burned.
Holy Week rites
Each day of Holy Week is, in addition to religious rituals, a time for a number of traditional rituals.
The first days of Holy Week were devoted to cleaning. On these days, people usually cleaned, walls were whitewashed and floors were scrubbed. It was also the time when Easter eggs were prepared.
Holy Wednesday was All Souls’ Day. In churches, the doors to the main nave were opened.
On Maundy Thursday, the organs and church bells were silent in churches. They were replaced by knockers with which little boys ran around the villages. This situation continued until the blessing of food on Holy Saturday. From that day on, for six consecutive days it was forbidden to wash clothes with a tadpole, because it was believed that it would attract lightning. Washed clothes had to be hung in places where they would not blow in the wind (e.g. in the attic). Why? Because flying things could disturb souls or bring evil forces. It was not allowed to chop wood, thresh or spin. On this day, silence was to be maintained to emphasize the time of mourning and waiting for the resurrection.
Good Friday looked almost like it does today. Graves were built in churches and guards were kept there. To ensure wealth and health throughout the year, one had to wash in water before sunrise, and coins were often thrown into the bowl of water. On this day, borrowing was forbidden so as not to take away happiness from the house. By observing the weather, the harvest for the next year was predicted.
On Holy Saturday, food was blessed, which took place in the cottage of the richest farmer, at a chapel or a roadside cross. In some villages, the faithful went to church with food. Święconka consisted of a large amount of eggs, a loaf of bread (so that there was never enough of it at home), sausage, bacon, cheese, butter, horseradish root, and salt. Everything was covered with a linen towel, which was later used to protect the cabbage so that it would grow fruitfully. Similarly to today, water and fire were also blessed.
Water was supposed to protect against misfortune and evil spirits. After consecrating the fire, everyone took thorns with them, which were placed in the ceiling of the house to protect against lightning.
Easter customs
Holy Sunday began with the resurrection mass, after which every farmer returned home as soon as possible. This was supposed to give him priority in finishing the harvest and ensure a good harvest. Whoever entered the house first secured fate’s favor.
Before the Easter breakfast began, the host would say goodbye and share pieces of the blessed egg with the household. Only after exchanging wishes did the feasting begin.
The activities performed on this day were supposed to be a reflection of the coming year. First of all, we were not allowed to sleep because it meant that the fields would become overgrown with weeds. Beds were not made and water was not drunk – so that people would not be thirsty all year round. After sunset, one was not allowed to eat consecrated food – otherwise there was a risk of night blindness. There was no sweeping to prevent the chickens from digging up the beds in the garden. The hens were not called to stop laying among the neighbors.
There was also a strong belief in the special power of eggs. The shells were scattered in the corners of the room to protect against worms. They were also placed under the first sheaf brought into the barn to protect the grain from mice. The purpose of the eggshells in the field was to destroy weeds and protect the cabbage from worms. They were placed under the nests of hens so that they would lay well, and uncooked eggs sacrificed long ago were given to cows so that they would have plenty of milk. Eggs were also rolled on the backs of cows and horses to make them fat, shiny, healthy and resistant to diseases.
Lany Monday, i.e. another day of celebration
Holy Monday, or Lany Monday, is the second day of Christmas. According to legend, the first Jews poured water on the Virgin Mary and we all douse ourselves with water to this day to commemorate this event. In some regions of the country, the custom of walking around Dyngus was popular, during which an apocryphal song about the suffering and death of Jesus was sung, followed by songs of wishes, most often for the host and the bride. In some villages, the pouring lasted even a whole week until Guiding Sunday, when the girls thanked the boys for pouring water by giving them Easter eggs.
Christmas fun
Easter time was a perfect opportunity to have fun and… look for a wife. Many Easter games had a matrimonial purpose.
Popular ones included: groves, during which young girls sang and walked around houses with young birches decorated with ribbons and the image of the Virgin Mary. They received refreshments for the song they sang.
Young boys had similar fun when they went around with a passion or, as part of a ritual called Rajcyki, they went from house to house and sang church religious songs and apocrypha, for which they received eggs or dumplings.
On the second day of Easter, boys from the entire village, as part of the so-called wołoczebny, they went from cottage to cottage, congratulating her and asking for blessed eggs, and if there was a girl in the room, they poured water on her and demanded an Easter egg. They took the collected eggs to the manor, for which they received pancakes, sausages, etc.
