Easter is an important holiday in Poland, and Easter celebrations are not limited to Easter Sunday. Traditions related to Easter take place for more than a week in Poland. From Palm Sunday to wet Monday, this period is marked by religious rites and practices with their origins in pagan times. It is important to note that Easter in Poland is celebrated on the Western Roman Catholic calendar.
Easter traditions in Poland
Holy Week lasts from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday, the week before Easter Sunday, is marked by church attendance with palm leaf substitutes in the form of handmade willow branches or bouquets of dried flowers. On Easter Saturday, baskets of Easter food are brought to a church to be blessed; the blessed food is eaten as part of the Easter Sunday meal. The Easter breakfast consists of boiled eggs, cold cuts, babka, and other dishes, including a lamb-shaped cake to symbolize Christ.
- Pictures of Easter in Poland
Easter Monday is a family holiday in Poland and is called Smigus Dyngus (also called Smingus-Dyngus), or Wet Monday, after the practice of men and boys pouring water on women and girls. However, the tradition is not necessarily limited to men pouring water on women – roles are often reversed. Regional variations of the tradition are also known to exist, and a woman’s marital status can protect her from being drenched with water. However, it is better to assume that on this day, no one is safe from the Smigus Dyngus tradition!
Pisanki are Easter eggs from Poland, handcrafted in traditional designs reminiscent of pagan symbols of fertility and spring.
- Types of Polish Easter eggs
Visiting Poland for Easter
While there is not much to do in Poland before and after the Easter holidays, it is important for visitors to note that Easter and Easter Monday are public holidays in Poland, which means shops, banks, and some restaurants will be closed. Easter in Krakow is celebrated with a market and related events. The Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw and other cities is an annual program of classical music concerts that always takes place during Easter. Easter foods, Easter eggs and other Easter-related souvenirs can be purchased during this time to commemorate the celebration of this spring break in Poland.
