The religious practices that characterise Holy Week, along with the widely embraced behaviours and traditions, guide individuals toward a profound inner rebirth. The unique experience of Holy Week in Poland blends moments of deep reflection with a joyful anticipation of the Easter celebrations.
Holy Week, a profound time in the Catholic Church, spans from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and marks the conclusion of Lent. In Poland, this sacred period is steeped in a rich tapestry of traditions that weave together religious practices, folk customs, and even remnants of pagan beliefs.
Throughout the centuries, Poles have embraced various customs that intertwine with the liturgical practices of the Church. The symbolism that permeates these days—fire, water, light, darkness, death, and resurrection – holds a universal significance. In earlier times, magical rituals intertwined with the Passion narratives were earnestly observed, but today, many have transformed into festive or theatrical performances aimed at dispelling misfortunes such as evil, illness, and despair, allowing both people and nature to embrace renewal.
During Holy Week, the interplay of religious, customary, and ceremonial dimensions becomes especially pronounced. For instance, the theme of water is vividly highlighted on Holy Thursday, marked by the priest’s ceremonial washing of the feet of twelve individuals – a practice that originally included only men from marginalized backgrounds such as the poor and sick, emphasising humility and service. In modern times, this act has evolved to include women and people from diverse backgrounds.
Despite the typically cool temperatures of March and April, when Holy Week occurs, many residents across Poland bravely enter nearby rivers and ponds to wash themselves. They believe that the water, which collects on Holy Thursday, possesses miraculous properties. This ritual is thought to promote healthy skin, heal ailments such as eye and dental issues – hence its use for rinsing the mouth – and soothe frayed nerves.
Water continues to play a significant role in both religious and folk traditions on Holy Saturday. On this day, water is consecrated in churches during the night of the Easter Vigil, which, according to Church teachings, marks the beginning of Easter Sunday. Many believers still bring home small vessels of blessed water on Holy Saturday to sprinkle around their residences. This act includes dousing the walls, furniture, doorsteps, and immediate surroundings, imbuing their spaces with spiritual significance.
Historically, holy water basins were placed at the entrances of homes and filled with water blessed on Holy Saturday. Farmers would lightly moisten their grains with this sacred water before the first sowing and sprinkle it over their livestock before the initial grazing. This practice was believed to ensure a bountiful harvest and promote the health of their animals.
In Poland, a cherished tradition unfolds on Holy Saturday as families prepare food for their Easter breakfast. This special meal is placed in small baskets, or historically in larger ones, to be blessed outside the church. In various regions, folklore dictates that the blessed food must remain untouched until Sunday morning, lest it invites insects into the home.
The rich tapestry of folk imagination is deeply intertwined with the liturgical symbols of the Easter Vigil, celebrated after nightfall on Holy Saturday. Key elements of this ceremony include the lighting of a fire during the blessing, the procession of the Paschal candle illuminating the darkened church, and the sprinkling of holy water, symbolising the renewal of baptismal vows.
During Holy Week, particularly on Maundy Thursday, a unique custom known as ‘judaszki’ emerges. This tradition utilizes water or fire—or both—to symbolically dispel evil, cantering around a puppet that represents Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. This practice is still observed in southern Poland, specifically in regions like Podkarpacie, Małopolska, and Cieszyn Silesia.
The figure of Judas, crafted from a large canvas bag stuffed with sawdust, sports a label reading ‘traitor’ and clutches thirty pieces of glass, symbolizing the thirty pieces of silver for which he betrayed Jesus. The ritual of justice begins with the effigy being thrown from the church tower, followed by being hanged from a tree. Once it is cut down, participants beat it with sticks, hurl stones at it, and ultimately tear it to shreds. The remnants are either burned or cast into a nearby river or lake, ensuring that not even a trace of Judas remains.
In other parts of Poland, the ‘judaszki’ tradition varies slightly, focusing on the communal act of burning rubbish collected from various homes in a large bonfire after the Easter cleaning.
The air fills with the enticing aromas of meat, cakes, and traditional Mazurek pastries, signalling the gradual end of Lent. Farmers have creatively devised ways to bid farewell to herring and sour cereal soup – the dishes most associated with the forty days of Lent. On Holy Wednesday or Good Friday, they would hang a herring cut out of a piece of wood or cardboard on a tree, as well as a pot with sour cereal soup mixed with ash and rubbish. After some time, they would knock the props down and bury the imaginary herring and the pot’s shell.
As Easter approaches, agricultural activity intensifies, with trees being planted and grafted in anticipation of the season’s revival. Farmers keenly observe the weather during Holy Week, believing it to set the tone for the rest of the year. The conditions on Holy Wednesday are thought to predict spring, while subsequent days forecast the seasons to follow.
Regardless of the weather, many Poles engage in Passion plays during Holy Week, congregating in renowned sanctuaries such as Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and Kalwaria Pacławska. From Good Friday onward, they make their way to various Holy Sepulchres, embarking on a faith-driven journey toward purification.
Karolina Prewęcka
