Full of traditions, the most important Christan Holiday, colorful and of course, days we enjoy delicious food in the past used to be the most awaited ones. After 40 days of fasting finally there’s time for joy and happiness. Altough, customs and religious traditions of Easter vary among countries, some of them are the same. especially those related to the Holy Week.
The most popular ones – Easter Monday, Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs – are only a small part of Easter traditions. A few days or even weeks before there’s time for springtime cleaning. In a past people were cleaning their houses as well as make them souls pure. They wanted to be clean right before Palm Sunday to start Holy Week without any sins.
Easter Saturday/Good Saturday, one day before the Resurrection, is the day of blessing Easter food. Every region in Poland has their own custom of what to put inside Easter Basket, but the most important are eggs, bread, salt, sausage and, of course, Easter lamb. Blessed Easter food is to be eaten during breakfast on Easter Sunday.
An egg – one of the most important symbols of Easter – the symbol of life. Eggs are not only a food – it’s also a decoration of Easter table. The easiest way to dye eggs is to boil them in a water with onion peelings or spinach. The tradition says that people suppose to share blessed eggs during Sunday’s breakfast.
The most joyful and important day – Easter Sunday – starts at dawn. People are going to the church to attend to Easter mass. After mass there’s right time to eat Easter breakfast – full of food (the most important – ham, sausages, eggs). After fasting since Friday, it’s the best breakfast during the year! The table has to be covered with white tablecloth and decorated by boxwood. Easter in Poland is not really about gifts, but kids still have an opportunity to get some small presents. They have to find small packages left by Easter Bunny.
At the end of Easter, there’s the most popular day/ tradition in Poland – Wet Monday. The day when everybody’s wet, but the tradition says that only girls are supposed to be. The more soaked with water girl, the faster she supposed to get married.
During Easter the nature is going back to life after winter, days are more sunny and it’s getting warmer. It all makes Easter the most coloful and traditional time of the year. It’s a time when catholic’s are thinking about Jesus’ ressurection and after Easter Sunday they’re happy, because Jesus is alive! But we can’t forget that Easter, as every time of Holiday, is the time for our families, so we supposed to spend this time together and avoid those moments which ruins joyful Holiday’s atmosphere.