Easter ends the season of Lent. This is a long-awaited time of family warmth and love. Easter is full of traditions and folk customs, and although some of them have unfortunately disappeared, many are still cultivated. Polish Easter traditions are so rich and original that it is worth getting to know them.
Holy Thursday
In folk culture, but also today, essential moments related to the sacred sphere begin with Holy Thursday, the Paschal Triduum’s beginning, ending with Vespers on Holy Sunday. Maundy Thursday in the Church’s liturgy commemorates the Last Supper and the institution of the Blessed Sacrament and the sacrament of priesthood. On this day, in the evening, Holy Mass is celebrated, called the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, commemorating the institution of the Eucharist and the sacrament of priesthood. After the ceremony, the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to a side chapel. From now on, all altars are stripped of tablecloths, crosses, and candlesticks. This church custom recalls the moment Jesus laid aside his clothes, wrapped himself in a linen cloth, and began to wash his disciples’ feet. There is a feeling of sadness, depression, and mourning in the church, intensified by the sound of knockers.
In the Holy Thursday liturgy, during the singing of Glory to God in the highest, all the bells traditionally ring, and after singing this hymn, the bells and chimes are replaced by clappers, also known as clappers. In the old days, the last sound of the bells, before they were silenced, was a signal for children to go around the houses three times, ringing their keys and shouting: Mice, rats in the hole. Running around the house was supposed to protect against pests and thieves.
In the past, knockers were used not only in churches. When the bells were silent, boys ran around the village with knockers, making a terrible noise that was supposed to protect against the intrusion of evil spirits. The use of knockers can be considered a certain All Souls’ relic because Maundy Thursday in Slavic beliefs was treated as All Souls’ Day, and this noise, which is one of the oldest magical practices, was supposed to stop all evil. Other All Souls’ Day customs in the 19th century included prohibiting noisy work that could scare the souls on earth, such as grinding grain, chopping wood, washing clothes with tadpoles, or using a treadmill. Ropes were also untied to free the souls languishing in the knot. There was also a ban on spinning and sewing so as not to involve an extraterrestrial in the material. It was customary to light bonfires, most often on the village’s borders, because it was believed that the souls of the dead came to this fire to warm themselves.
According to ancient beliefs, from Holy Thursday, one had to actively participate in religious practices. Experiences related to remembering biblical events impacted the everyday lives of village residents. The Holy Thursday silence, which lasted until Holy Saturday, was associated not only with the liturgy of the Church but also with pre-Christian All Souls’ rites.
Good Friday
Good Friday is a time of seriousness, sadness, mourning, and concentration. No Holy Mass is celebrated in the church on this day; only the evening Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord takes place. Its most important element is the adoration of the cross. The faithful approach the crucifix, kneel, and symbolically kiss to express acceptance of Jesus’ redemption. The Good Friday liturgy ends with transferring the Blessed Sacrament from the side chapel and to the so-called Tomb of the Lord, commemorating the burial of Christ’s body. The Lord’s Tomb is essential to Good Friday, and its preparation is a Polish custom.
In the past, many folk rituals and customs were practiced on Good Friday. On this day, the same behavior was observed during mourning. People wore black clothes; they were not allowed to shout or even talk loudly or do noisy work. Clocks were stopped, and mirrors were covered or turned to the wall so that a person looking at them on that day would not see the devil. It was believed that hail would destroy his crops if a farmer looked in the mirror on Good Friday. People went to rivers and streams at early dawn to wash in running water. Water was brought in buckets for the sick and cattle. It was firmly believed that it had healing and disease-preventing properties only on this day, and washing in spring was supposed to cause purification and rebirth.
On Good Friday, eggs were boiled, blessed on Holy Saturday, and Pisanki were made from it. Girls often wash their hair or face in the water after boiling eggs to eliminate freckles or other beauty defects.
Good Friday is the day of the strictest fast. It involves giving up meat and limiting the amount of food. This fasting ritual was strictly observed in the old countryside and often lasted until Easter breakfast. This fast on Good Friday was difficult for many people because they were already tempted by various delicacies prepared for the holiday feast. In the past, bread and cakes were baked on this day, as well as boiled eggs, steamed ham, and grated horseradish. You couldn’t taste anything, and all the delicacies were waiting in the pantry for Easter Sunday. In some regions of Poland, the fast ended after blessing food on Holy Saturday, and one could taste some specialties.
The tradition of grave guards held at the Tomb of Christ on Good Friday remains in many places. Sentinels dressed in military or firefighter uniforms or Roman soldier costumes stand guard at the Tomb until the Resurrection. In Podkarpacie and some parishes, the guards of the Holy Sepulchre have uniforms richly decorated with colorful elements. Such unique costumes and accessories of grave guards can be seen, among others, in Radomyśl nad Sanem, Wola Rzeczycka, Leżajsk, Giedlarowa, Gniewczyn Łańcucka, Żołynia, Grodzisk Dolny. According to legend, the custom of “Turks” dates back to the victorious battle of John III Sobieski near Vienna and the return of soldiers to their villages. The returning soldiers arrived on Good Friday and, wanting to present the war gains to the local population, they dressed up in Turkish uniforms, which aroused fear among the inhabitants, who began to run away, shouting: “The Turks are coming!” It was before Easter, so even the guards guarding Jesus’ tomb escaped. Then, strangely dressed soldiers in Turkish costumes joined the guard, and since then, every year, “Turks” guard the Tomb of Christ. It still happens in some villages that on the second day of Easter, “Turki” go around the houses with wishes, for which they receive donations and refreshments. There is competition among groups of “Turks” from different towns regarding clothes and drills. “Turkish” troops in fancy costumes can present themselves at the “Turki” Easter Guards Parade, organized annually in a different town in the Podkarpacie region.
Traditionally, Good Friday was a day of mortification and sadness. It was also believed that when Jesus was lying in the grave, evil, witches, and ghosts were roaming the world, which is why we have a custom in which the farmer walked around the farm three times to protect himself from evil on this day. The homemakers milked their cows before dawn on Holy Saturday so the witches would not take their milk. According to the proverb: “On Good Friday, good sowing begins,” the farmers, weather permitting, sowed grain symbolically, believing it would grow without weeds. In turn, in other regions, for example, the Opoczno region and the Rzeszów region, it was forbidden to start any field work because doing so could result in crop failure.
Leonardo da Vinci Ostatnia Wieczerza
The article was based on material Dr. Małgorzata Dziura prepared from the National Museum of the Przemyśl.
