Tłusty Czwartek (Pączki Day) - Fat Thursday
Wielki Post - Lent
Sroda Popielocowa - Ash Wednesday
Droga Krzyzowa - Stations of the Cross
Gorzkie Zale - Lenten Lamentations
Wielki Tydzien - Holy Week
Niedziela Palmowa - Palm Sunday
Wielka Sroda - Holy Wednesday
Wielki Czwartek - Holy Thursday
Wielki Piątek - Good Friday
Wielka Sobota - Holy Saturday:
Święconka
Pisanki - Polish Easter Eggs
Blessing of the Food
Basket Foods & Symbolism
Easter Foods
Wigilia Paschalna - Easter Vigil
Wielkanoc - Easter Sunday:
Rezurekcja - Resurrection Procession
Święcone - Easter Breakfast
Dzielenie sie Jajkiem - Sharing of the Egg
Dyngus Day - Easter Monday
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Wielki Post - Lent
Wielki Post means literally "the Great Fast." Lent is a time of special services, retreats, fasting and individual acts of penance. Liquor and raucous entertainment are avoided, and very few weddings take place. Meat and snacks are avoided on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during this period. For Polish Catholics, Lent is the most reflective spiritual season, a time of the church calendar cycle for prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and reflection on the mystical nature of redemption. Specific to the Polish Roman Catholic celebration of Lent is the Lenten Lamentations or Gorzkie Zale, which are sung each week throughout Polonia. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
Popielec, Sroda Popielocowa
* Ash WednesdayFollowing Paczki Day, Ash Wednesday traditionally ends the period of pre-Lenten merriment known as Karnawal or Zapusty and ushers in 40 days of fast and penance in preparation for Easter. Priests mark the heads of the faithful with a cross of ashes while saying, Pamietaj, czlowiecze, ze z prochu powstales i w proch sie obrocisz. (Remember, man, thou art dust and to dust thou shall return.) Polish Catholicism, unlike popular American culture, does not avoid the subject of death, but embraces the truths of mortality.
Droga Krzyzowa * Stations of the Cross
Like other Roman Catholics, Poles perform the Way of the Cross devotion year-round, but focus intensely on it during Lent. Each of the 14 Stations represents one moment of the Lord's Passion and Death. The faithful follow the Priest through the church, kneeling at each station. The Polish Stations are for the most part chanted/sung.Similar to all Catholic Way of the Cross devotions, each Station begins with the Priest intoning: "Klaniamy Ci sie Panie Jezu i blogoslawimy Tobie" (We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You), the congregation then responds: "Zes przez krzyz i meke swoja swiat odkupil." (Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.) After the reflective content of each station, it is concluded with an Ojcze nasz, Zdrowas Maryjo, Chwala Ocju...(Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be). Finally the Priest chants, "Ktorys za nas cierpial rany," and the congregation responds, "Jezu Chryste, zmiluj sie nad nami." (Christ, Have mercy on us.) This concluding refrain echoes the Kyrie of the Mass, and also concludes the Gorzkie Zale.
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Tłusty Czwartek / Pączki Day - Fat Thursday
Pączki (punch-key) Day is the feast of plenty before the Lenten fast begins. It is the last day of gaiety in Karnawal time, the period between Christmas and Lent. This is the time for sleigh parties called Kulig. To mark the last moments of excess before the austerity of Lenten sacrifice, Polish Roman Catholics celebrate Pączki Day.
On this day the traditional deep fried pastries (something like jelly doughnuts) are enjoyed throughout the world's Polonias. This joyous activity precedes the Gorzkie Zale (lamentation services) of Lent in Polonian churches. In Poland, Paczki Day takes place the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, called Tlusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday). Long lines form in front of the bakeries in Polonia, and millions of Pączki are sold.
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| Pączki/Polish Doughnuts |
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Gorzkie Zale - Lenten Lamentations
The Ancient chants retracing the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ form the essence of this typically Polish weekly Lenten service that takes its name from the words of the hymn, "Gorzkie zale przybywajcia" (Come to us, bitter lamentations). Many Poles know the texts of the entire three-part cycle by heart.
The Gorzkie Zale [gosh-geh-zahl-leh] began in Warsaw's Holy Cross Church during the 1700s. The devotion incorporates prose and verse, chant and reading, prayer and meditation, inviting participants to reflect on the mystery of Christian redemption, the Passion and death of the Christ. This deep appreciation for the Passion is seen in the most popular Polish image of Christ, Chrystus Frasobliwy, the so-called "sorrowing Christ," which depicts Christ in the Garden, bent in prayer and sorrow. The Lamentations highlight the very emotional nature of Polish spirituality, inviting a personal identification with the Suffering Lord and His Mother. The devotion is most often preceded by Benediction and chanted kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament.
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Wielki Tydzien / Holy Week
The culmination of Lent is Holy Week, appropriately known in Polish as "the Great Week." The most important are the first day, Palm Sunday, and the last three, known by the Latin term, "Triduum." The remaining days are largely set aside for the physical preparation for Easter: shopping, baking and house-cleaning. From Palm Sunday through the Resurrection Procession at Sunrise on Easter Sunday, thus is the single period of time in which Polish Catholics will spend the most time in devotion at church. These devotions intensify in the Triduum, beginning on Holy Thursday.
Kalwaria (Calvary) is the name of Polish retreat and pilgrimage centers used especially during Holy Week. The best known is Kalwaria Zebrzydowska near Pope John Paul II’s birthplace of Wadowice.
Niedziela Palmowa * Palm Sunday
In the past, Palm Sunday was called Niedziela Kwietna (floral Sunday), because bouquets of wildflowers, pussy willows and evergreens were blessed in churches, rather than real, subtropical palms, which were not available.
Bazie or Kotki are the pussy willow branches cut several weeks ahead and placed in water so they sprout their furry, little buds by Palm Sunday. According to one old folk custom, swallowing one of the buds was said to ensure health all year.
Parishioners process with the palms through the streets around the parish, celebrating the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Many Polish regions craft a special floral stick in lieu of or addition to the palms. These are also blessed and carried in procession, like palms.
Wielka Sroda * Holy Wednesday
Topienie Judasza (Effigy of Judas). On Holy Wednesday, youngsters enjoyed hurling an effigy of Judas from the church steeple. It was then dragged through the village, pounded with sticks and stones and what was left of it was drowned in a nearby pond or river.
Wielki Czwartek * Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Christ instituted the priesthood. In cathedrals, bishops wash the feet of 12 parishioners just as Christ did his apostles before the supper. Following this evening "Washing of the Feet," in which the Host will be Consecrated for the Last Time until the Easter Vigil, it is customary to perform the "Seven Churches" Visitation. The faithful make pilgrimage to seven different local churches, at which Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament continues until late into the night.
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Wielki Piątek * Good Friday
Good Friday, the most somber day of the year, is a day of solemn church services centering on the Death of Christ. In homes where Easter preparations are well underway, music is not played and an atmosphere of reverence is maintained.
Many hours are spent in devotion at church. The altar is bare, the services--for the only time of the Church year--do not include the Consecration of the Host, symbolizing the desolation of the world without God. Services include the distinctive Veneration of the Cross, in which the crucifix is either carried into the church or unveiled, and then venerated or kissed by the faithful. In many parishes, the crucifix is borne by men of the parish and carried throughout the streets which were the path of Palm Sunday's joyous procession. This funeral procession in the streets is accompanied by alter boys wielding special wooden clappers (klekotki, grzechotki) rhythmically ringing out the nailing of Jesus to the Cross. The sorrowful mood is enhanced by such plaintive hymns as "Ludu, moj ludu" and "W Krzyzu cierpienie."
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Wielka Sobota - Holy Saturday
Grob Panski, Bozy Grob * Grave of the Lord
Holy Saturday commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body lay in the tomb.
A lifesize figure of Christ lying in His tomb is widely visited by the faithful, especially on Holy Saturday. The tableaux may include flowers, candles, figures of angels standing watch, the three crosses atop Mt. Calvary and much more. Each parish strives to come up with the most artistically and religiously evocative arrangement in which the Blessed Sacrament, draped in a filmy veil, is prominently displayed.
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Easter Basket (Swieconka)
* Pisanki * Polish Easter Eggs
* Blessing of the Food
* Basket Foods & Symbolism
* Pisanki * Polish Easter Eggs
* Blessing of the Food
* Basket Foods & Symbolism
Święconka
Święconka (sh-vee-en-soon-kah) is one of the most enduring and beloved Polish traditions. Baskets containing a sampling of Easter foods are brought to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood (bukszpan), the typical Easter evergreen. Poles take special pride in preparing a decorative and tasteful basket with crisp linens, occasionally embroidered for the occasion, and just enough boxwood and ribbon woven through the handle. Observing the beautiful foods and creations of other parishioners is one of the special joys of the event.
Pisanki - Polish Easter Eggs
The name Pisanki comes form the Polish verb pisac, "to write." The eggs are decorated with many traditional Polish symbols of Easter. Most popular are: the Lamb with Resurrection Banner (Baranek, symbolizing the Lamb of God from the Agnus Dei of the Catholic Mass), pussy willow (often used instead of palms in Poland), Cross (symbol of the Crucified Christ), or Easter greetings, such as Wesolego Alleluja or Alleluja. Different regions of Poland have also developed particular geometric and floral designs specific to those communities. Natural dyes, such as onion skins or beets, are often used to color eggs referred to as Kraszanki.
Poswiecenie Pokarmow * Blessing of Food
The Blessing of the Food is a festive occasion. The three-part blessing prayers specifically address the various contents of the basket, with special prayers for the meats, eggs, cakes & breads. While in some older or rural communities, the priest visits the home to bless the foods, the vast majority of Poles visits the church on Holy Saturday, once again praying at the Tomb of the Lord.
The priest then sprinkles the individual baskets with Holy Water. More traditional Polish churches uses a straw brush for dispersing the Water; others use the more modern metal Holy Water sprinkling wand. In some parishes, the baskets are lined up on long tables; in others, parishioners process to the front of the alter carrying their baskets, as if in a Communion line.
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Diagram and list of Basket Contents and Symbolism
Maslo / Butter : This dairy product is often shaped into a lamb (Baranek Wielkanocny), reminding us of the goodness of Christ that we should have toward all things.
Chleb / Easter Bread: A round rye loaf topped with a cross, symbolic of Jesus, the Bread of Life.
Chrzan / Horseradish : Symbolic of the Passion of Christ still in our minds, but sweetened with some sugar because of the Resurrection. (May be white or pink [w/grated red beets].)
Jajka / Eggs and Pisanki: Indicate new life and Christ's Resurrection from the Tomb.
Kielbasa / Sausage: A spicy sausage of pork products, indicative of God's favor and generosity.
Szynka / Ham: Symbolic of great joy and abundance. (In addition to the large ham cooked for the Easter Meal, often a special small ham, called the Szynka Wielkanocny) is purchased specially for Swieconka basket.)
Slonina / Smoked Bacon: A symbol of the over abundance of God's mercy and generosity.
Sol / Salt: So necessary an element in our physical life, that Jesus used its symbolism: "You are the salt of the earth."
Ser / Cheese: Shaped into a ball, it is the symbol of the moderation Christians should have.
Holy Water: Holy water is used to bless the home, animals, fields and used in
religious rituals throughout the year.
A candle, often marked like the Paschal Candle lit during the Easter Vigil, is inserted into the basket to represent Christ, Light of the World.
A colorful ribbon and sometimes sprigs of greenery are attached.
The linen cover is drawn over the top and is ready for the trek to the blessing.
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Easter Foods
Baranek Wielkanocny (Easter Lamb)
* Importance of Easter Foods Baranek Wielkanocny * Easter Lamb
The Easter Lamb bearing a cross-emblazoned flag (Resurrection Banner) represents Christ Resurrected and is thus the typical Polish Easter symbol. At the center of Catholic Mass is the sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the Eucharist. The lamb adorns greeting cards; sugar lambs are blessed in Easter baskets and plaster lambs form the centerpiece of the Swiecone table. The sugar lambs are most often blessed in children's baskets as a sweet treat.
Typically the table also includes a butter lamb shaped by hand, in a mold, or purchased from delis and Polish markets. This lamb is always included in the basket to be blessed.
The lamb also appears in the dessert form of the Lamb Cake, a pound cake shaped and decorated, often sitting atop Easter grass, and always carrying the Resurrection Banner.
Polish Easter Cakes
The most typical Polish Easter cake, virtually universal, is the Babka [bob-kuh], a rich bread-like cake, often shaped in a "bundt" shape, reminiscent of a woman's skirts, hence its name Babka (Grandmother Cake). Also prominent are the lamb cake, the Polish specialty of Makowiec [ma-ko-vee-ets](poppy seed cake), Sernik [sair-neek] (Polish style cheesecake) and other sweets.
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Zurek Wielkanocny * Polish Easter Soup
Zurek [zhooh-rek] is often served at the Easter meal, garnished with the hard-boiled eggs and Polish sausage (kielbasa) of the celebration. This "white borscht" is made from a starter called Zur, a sour starter similar to that used in sourdough bread.
The importance of Easter foods
The centrality of food, celebration and hospitality to Polish Easter are reflected in the most typical Polish proverb:
"Gosc w Dom, Bog w Dom."
(Guest in the home is God in the home.)
The proverb is realized in everyday Polish life through the legendary Polish hospitality, especially concerning food. Stranger or friend is always welcome and never bid farewell without a serving of food, even in the most modest of circumstances.
"Czem chata bogata, tem rada."
(The little cottage shares what it has.)
Lemnis and Vitry's study of Old Polish cookery in the Middle ages presents two medieval fragments from old Polish Palm Sunday songs. These charming fragments show the eagerness for the Easter feast following Lenten austerity:
Fragment 1:
Layer cakes
And stuffed kielbasy are good
Let me, Christ, taste this
Let me see these Easter delicacies.
Fragment 2:
I shall praise you that you are good, Lord,
When I eat some ham for breakfast.
To Poles, the holiest of all edibles is bread. Often when cutting into a loaf or round initially, the knife is maneuvered so as to make the Sign of the Cross. When bread is dropped to the floor (a sacrilege), the loaf is often kissed when picked up. This sacredness, so valued by Polish culture, is reflected in the Easter bread which is especially marked with a Cross (in contemporary times, often a purple paper decal.) The purple hue reflects the color of liturgical vestments and altar linens during the Lenten season. It is indicative of the Lord's Passion. Thus two predominant Easter foods are Beet Salad (Buraczki) (a deep purple) and beet-colored Horseradish (Chrzan).
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Wigilia Paschalne * Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil Mass takes place late Holy Saturday evening. This Mass is distinctive because the liturgy is centered around fire and water. The Service of Light begins with the lighting of a bonfire at the rear entrance to the church. The Vigil, a solemn and overwhelming Mass, begins in the dark of night serving as a Christian passover as Jesus passed from death to life. It consists of four parts:
a) The Service of Light (Obrzed Swiatla)
b) The Liturgy of the Word (Liturgia Slowa)
c) The Liturgy of Baptism (Liturgia Chrzcielna)
d) The Liturgy of the Eucharist (Liturgia Eucharystyczna)
The Service of Light (Obrzed Swiatla) dramatically emphasizes the darkness of the world without God (experienced on Good Friday) and the shocking brilliance of the Resurrection. It begins with all lights in the church extinguished. The bonfire (the "new fire") is then blessed. It symbolizes hope in the darkness.
The Paschal candle is lit from the blessed fire. The candle is then prepared with ancient symbols: the cross, the Alpha and Omega, and the year. Grains of incense are inserted into this design symbolizing the wounds of Christ's Passion.
The Candle is then carried into the dark church in procession. A priest or cantor's voice rings out of the darkness in a repeated chant: "Swiatlo Chrystusa," (Christ our light) to which the faithful reply, "Bogu niech beda dzieki" (Thanks be to God.) (As the procession moves forward, the Paschal candle may be used to light individual candles held by the congregation.)
The Procession is followed by the beautiful song/chant, the Exsultet (Easter Proclamation or Oredzie Paschalne). Sung by a priest, deacon, or cantor, this ancient song-poem begins "Weselcie sie juz, zastepy Aniolow w niebie!...Raduj sie, Kosciele Swiety, Matko nasza!" ("Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels...O Mother Church! Exult in glory!") The songs continues to name the night ("Jest to ta sama noc..." This is the night...) dispelled by the Morning Star.
The Liturgy of the Word (Liturgia Slowa) then begins. As this is the ultimate Vigil, nine readings are provided, seven from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament (the Epistle and the Gospel). The Old Testament emphasis recalls how God's people have been saved throughout history. Each reading is followed by a Responsorial Psalm (Psalm Responsoryjny) and an intention (Modlitwa). After the Gospel and Homily, the Mass moves on to the Liturgy of Baptism.
The Liturgy of Baptism (Liturgia Chrzcielna), in which children and adults may be Baptized and brought into the church community, begins with singing/chanting the Litany (Litanie) of the Saints. This litany invokes the patrons who will guide the newly baptized. The Priest then blesses the Baptismal Water (Poswiecenie Wody Chrzcielnej), culminating as the Easter candle is three times lowered into the water, symbolizing the descent into death and rising into new life. The candidates (or their sponsors) then make their Baptismal promises, followed by the Sacrament of Baptism.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist (Liturgia Eucharystyczna) which takes place in every Mass is especially significant at this paschal sacrifice. After Holy Communion, the deacon or priest sings/chants "Idzcie ofiara spelniona, alleluja, alleluja" (The Mass is ended, go in peace. Alleluia, Alleluia.), to which the congregation replies, "Bogu niech beda dzieki, alleluja, alleluja" (Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia.) These final exclamations proclaim the Easter message.
This may follow this Vigil Mass with a Resurrection Procession (Procesja Rezurekcyjna) of the Blessed Sacrament, similar to that of Easter Morning (Rezurekcja).
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Wielkanoc
- Easter SundayRezurekcja * Resurrection Procession
The Rezurekcja is the joyous Easter morning Mass at daybreak when church bells ring out and explosions resound to commemorate Christ rising from the dead. Before the Mass begins at dawn, a festive procession with the Blessed Sacrament carried beneath a canopy encircles the church. As church bells ring out, handbells are vigorously shaken by altar boys, the air is filled with incense and the faithful raise their voices heavenward in a triumphant rendering of age-old Easter hymns. After the Blessed Sacrament is carried throughout the streets around the church and Adoration is complete, the Easter Mass begins.
Święcone * Easter Breakfast
After Easter Mass, the faithful hurry home to feast on the delicacies denied during Lent. Cold dishes predominate like ham, kielbasa, roast meats, pasztat (pate), hard-boiled eggs in various sauces, salads, beet and horseradish relish (cwikla), followed by such holiday cakes as babka, mazurek and sernik. In some families the breakfast starts with a tart, whitish soup containing eggs and kielbasa, known as bialy barszcz in eastern Poland and zurek elsewhere.
Dzielenie Sie Jajkiem * Sharing of the Egg
Before Easter breakfast begins, members of the family consume wedges of the blessed Easter eggs and exchange best wishes in much the same way as opłatek is shared on Christmas Eve.
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Easter Monday
Śmigus-Dyngus
Smigus Dyngus (shming-oos-ding-oos) This term now refers to the Easter Monday drenching custom, although once signified a kind of house-to-house Easter trick or treating that has survived only in a few rural areas. The merrymakers often pulled along a special cart with a live or wooden rooster and received treats and drinks from the households they visited.
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