Текст Easter in Poland
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (6 класс) на тему

Easter in Poland

Traditional Easter celebrations in Poland are as old and elaborate as Christmas celebrations and they involve a lot of preparations. Easter-related traditions take place for more than a week in Poland. Easter in Poland is very colourful, accompanied with joy and numerous religious and folk customs.

Holy Week lasts for a week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Palm branches and twigs are indispensable (common) accessories of the events of Palm Sunday. They commemorate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The original palm branch is replaced by a willow or raspberry branch, and is decorated with ribbons, flowers, and leaves. Household members are symbolically whipped with the palm, which is meant to bring them good luck for the following year.

During the Holy Week people usually clean their houses, and prepare everything for Easter Sunday: colour thу Easter Eggs, cook traditional dishes, like babka (sweet yeast cake), mazurek (pastry with a generous layer of chocolate or dulce de leche icing decorated with dried fruit and nuts) and make ‘Blessing Basket’ (Easter baskets).

 Easter eggs (Pisanki)

The eggs, which dominate the Easter table, symbolise life and rebirth. Beautifully decorated, they have adorned Polish tables at Easter for centuries. The most common symbols on Easter eggs include lambs, crosses, flowers and other spring motifs.

Blessing of the Easter baskets

Holy Saturday is the day of joyful anticipation. On this day, decorative baskets with food are prepared to be blessed at church. They include eggs symbolising birth and new life, a lamb made out of sugar symbolising the sacrifice of Christ, as well as bread, salt, cold meat, horseradish and a traditional cake. Blessed food is eaten on the next day, on Sunday, after the Sunrise Service, during the Easter breakfast.

Easter breakfast

On Sunday morning, beautifully laid table is covered with colored eggs, cold meats, coils of sausages, ham, yeast cakes, pound cakes, poppy-seed cakes, and in the middle of it all, a lamb made of sugar, commemorating the resurrected Christ. No smoke was permitted; therefore no warm meals were served. Horseradish was mixed with beets, “cwikla”, traditionally present on polish Easter tables. Sharing a boiled egg with one’s relatives is a national tradition. People in Poland play ‘cracking eggs’ on this day. Two people strike Easter eggs held in their palms against each other. The holder of the stronger, uncracked egg is the winner.

On Easter Monday there is a very ancient Easter tradition called “Smingus-Dyngus” (Wet Monday)– custom of pouring water on one another. On this day, people splash others with water: both relatives and strangers. Girls that were soaked on this day increased their chances of getting married.