Painted on Glass

Liturgical Year - rites, folk customs

"... Since I can remember I have always been attracted to nature, everything natural and authentic, wild nature, primitive architecture and things that the simple folk produced with their own hands and from the heart. thereby cultivating the traditions which unite the family and help to keep the home fires burning. I think that the majority of people carry such feelings but they are not always aware of them. Living in great conurbations, in a world of technology and business, we have departed from nature ... All my paintings are painted from the heart to save our Polish identity and heritage from oblivion as all that inevitably passes. In my paintings there exist two worlds in which I live - spiritual and worldly. I unite in them all that is visible and invisible and those feelings that ipermeate my whole being..."

Edith Marczynskaabout herself …

Winter passes with Marzanna (Slavic goddess)

The ceremony of calling in the Spring, in which a straw effigy - Marzanna was carried around the village to take away every households evil spirits and bad luck. Then the Marzanna is

destroyed by being burned or drowned which symbolises the departure of Winter.

Green grove

After destroying Marzanna a large pine branch was brought to the village and decorated. Later that decorated branch was carried around the village and that was symbolising arriving of a

Spring.

Angel's announcement to Mary

Divine Mother, to whom an angel announced maternity, was worshiped as patron of a life waking up at Spring. Storks were also a symbol of the beginning of spring and they always

return to their old nests around the time of the holiday of the Annunciation to Mary

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is last Sunday of Great Fast and it commemorates a triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. On this day in all churches in Poland palms are brought to church and priest

sprinkles holy water on them.

Judaszki

In the last century in Poland Judaszki was the holiday when on Great Wednesday or Thursday, during Great Fast, an effigy of Judas was burned or destroyed or hanged as a symbolic gesture

against his betrayal

Great Saturday

Great Saturday finishes Easter Triduum. On this day the church commemorates the time that Jesus Christ was laid in the tomb. In Polish churches traditionally Easter Foods are brought to

be blessed.

At the Easter table

On Great Sunday, after resurrection mass, people are going home to begin a great Easter feast.

May's holiday

A exquisite form of glorifying Mary the Queen of Poland is a special mass celebrated every year in May in churches or near wayside shrines ...

Miraculous Saint John's Night

Primeval custom, held at night from 23 to 24 June. Celebrations include jumping over the flames of bonfires, floating wreaths of flowers often lit with candles on rivers and looking for legendary flower fern, which can give prosperity, luck and power to whomever finds the fern

Celebrations of Saint Roch

Saint Roch is the guardian of animals, patron of cattle and dogs. Votive ceremonies are held in churches at 16th of August. On the day of Saint Roch people bring candles and wax

figurines of animals and light them during the mass.

Harvest festival

Harvest festival is the farmer's largest yearly holiday after the end of field works and collecting the crops. A harvest wreath blessed in church is brought to the landlord who

organizes a sumptuous feast with dances.

All Souls' Day

Polish All Souls'Day is celebrated on the 2nd November. On this day graves are drowning under flowers and eternal flames are lit...

Day of Saint Martin

On the 11th November the day of Saint Martin was celebrated. On that day people would feast on goose meat and a crescent roll covered with poppy seed. Saint Martin is worshiped as guardian of the cattle, horses, soldiers and poor as well as patron of November slaughter

when people traditionally butcher animals in preparation for winter.

In Eve of Saint AndrewIn Poland 29th of November is celebrating Saint Andrew's Day. St. Andrew's Day is specially suitable for magic that reveals a girl's future husband or that binds a future husband to her.

At the evening all unmarried women were foretelling love and marriage by pouring hot lead into water.

Advent's Ligawki

A custom from Podlasie (eastern part of Poland) when the beginning of Advent was announced by a loud blowing horns called Ligawki.

Celebrations of Saint Nicholas's Day

6th of December Saint Nicholas accompanied an angel and the devil visits houses at night and leaves sweets for children who were good. If the they were not he leaves a tree branch

instead

God was born !!!

Christmas is the miraculous time when we rejoice with our saviour's birth

When the first star shines...

Christmas Eve is a joyful time of family meeting, dividing a wafer between family and friends and carolling ..

Waking up bees at New Year...

New -Year's custom in which host of the farm knocked at midnight to hives in his apiary and he encouraged bees to start making honey and wax on the new season. Meanwhile in farm yards

a straw sheaf was burned which symbolised old year and all worries .

Hey carol, carol ...!

In period from Christmas to holiday of Three Kings, carol groups wander with wishes from house to house singing carols...

Gromniczna (Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple)Holiday of Divine Mother is when wax candles are light at 2nd of February. Gromnica (a big

wax candle blessed in church) protects men and households from dangerous elements. According to legend Divine Mother goes at night through snow-covered fields and tends

farms and animals and shows the road to travellers ..

Under care of Saint. AgathaIn the day of Saint Agatha on 5th of February, water, salt, bread and grain were blessed in

churches. It was believed that it protects men and houses from disasters and bad luck. At the Kashubian Region in Poland, during storms, men stood up on the shore, prayed to Saint Agatha

and threw in to the sea consecrated bread and grain to calm down stirred waves ...

Zapusty (Carnival)Carnival party at the village which occurs immediately before Great Fast . The traditional way

to celebrate Carnival is the kulig, a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the snow-covered countryside. As well sumptuously parties are organized where people dance and have a feast

before a Great Fast starts

Ash WednesdayOn Ash Wednesday during masses, ashes are placed on the heads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered from the burned palms from the previous years's Palm Sunday. The priest says as follows when applying the ashes, "Remember, O man, that

you are dust, and unto dust you shall return" ...

The end

Music - "The Green Grove" sings MazowszeIllustrations taken from the website of Edith MarczyńskaA presentation prepared - Anna