A unique tradition in my country

POLAND

The first day of spring

We celebrate it on 21st March.First, we organise a colorful parade: we go along the streets of the town we live in with ribbons and instruments. We play and shout: Winter, go away! The leader of the parade carries a huge effigy of Marzanna that symbolizes winter.After the parade we burn Marzanna in a bonfire or drown her in a river.

This is Marzanna:

Smigus-Dyngus (Wet Monday)

We celebrate it on the second day of Easter.Young men wake up early and go outside with buckets full of cold water. They have to pour the water on the girl they like. It’s hard, because the girls run away, but it’s always a good fun! At the end of the day the girl that has dry clothes is sad, because it means she doesn’t have any admirer. Some girls believe that dry clothes on Wet Monday symbolize spinsterhood.

Smigus-Dyngus in Poland:

All Saints’ DayIn Poland, we prefer celebrating All Saints’ Day than Halloween. We think it’s very important to remember about people who have gone.We celebrate All Saints’ Day on 1st November. We go to the cemetery to light candles on the graves and to pray for the souls of the dead.

Cemetery on All Saints’ Day:

Andrzejki (Saint Andrew’s Day)

It’s the evening before All Saints’ Day, when we meet to tell fortunes about the future. We believe that at night before All Saints’ Day souls of our ancestors come to visit us and to show what will happen in the coming year.To tell fortunes we use wax, keys, shoes and paper hearts. Young women believe that in Andrzejki they will see the face or at least meet the name of a future husband.

Fortune telling in Andrzejki:

Thanks for watching!!!

Presentation prepared by pupils from Primary School in Zabór, Poland.