​In Poland, the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) is also called Matka Boska  Zielna – Blessed Mother of the Herbs, or Our Lady of the Herbs.  The tradition stems from early Christian legends that when the Blessed Mother was taken into heaven the only items found in her tomb by the apostles were aromatic herbs and flowers. Among the people of Poland, the Blessed Mother is seen as the patron and keeper of the earth and all of its abundance.  So deep is this day rooted in the customs and traditions of the country that on this day, the employed are exempt from work so that everyone who wishes to can  pay homage and celebrate within the Catholic Church with mass, processions and the blessing of herbs and flowers.

The feast day depicted in painting by Polish artist Wincenty Wodzinowski (1833-1940) titled Święto Matki Boskiej Zielnej (The Feast of Our Lady of the Herbs)

     In the past, every village housewife brought a bouquet of herbs, flowers and grain that was collected from her own garden, the fields and orchards. In those days, the basics of such a bouquet were ears of grain (the day often came towards the conclusion of the harvest), flax, poppy heads, thyme, mint, vegetables and fruits such as carrots or apples which were stuck on a stick to be tucked in among the flowers and herbs or branches of  hazelnuts with nuts, etc.

 
     Today, especially in large cities, the flowers and herbs may come from a small city garden or store bought. What frequently happens now is that vendors often set up in front of a church with a variety of flowers for churchgoers to purchase. It doesn’t matter where the plants/flowers come from, for they are all from the earth. 

← Painting titled Matka Boska Zielna (Blessed Mother of the Herbs) by Polish painter Adam Setkowicz (1876-1945)

     This holy day has always had special meaning for me.  Maybe  because, since a small child, I watched my mother heal with plants (often called weeds) found in the grass, or watched the absolute magic of seeds turn into vegetables. It might also be because of a grandmother I never met who sent a photo of herself taken on this special day.

​A couple of years ago I was inspired to imitate that photo, something of me to pass on to the next generation and perhaps inspire them, too.

Feast of Our Lady of the Herbs (Matka Boska Zielna) in Nisko, Poland circa 1950’s. My maternal grandmother Maria Dul Zalewska with her bouquet is second from the left next to the priest.

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Feast of Our Lady of the Herbs. Buffalo, New York. St. Casimir’s Church. 2022. I positioned myself (first on the left) next to Rev. Czesław Krysa followed by my friends Diane Wołoszyn and Regina Hanchak.

​      It was believed that the blessed bouquet took on extraordinary healing and protective properties. On the way from church, the bouquet was left for a few days in the furrows of the vegetable fields, so that pests would not threaten the cabbage and potato crops. After a few days, the bouquet was taken home and stored, like the Easter palm, tucked behind one of the holy images hanging on the wall. The herbs from the bouquet were used for teas, infusions, and even baths. They were used to fumigate the interiors of houses and farm buildings to protect the inhabitants against tuberculosis, plague and the casting of a spells.

     When the blessed bouquet became bedraggled looking or the majority of it used up over the year, it was never just thrown away. It was considered a sacred object that had to be treated with special care. An old or damaged bouquet had to be burned – just like old or damaged holy images - so that the ashes returned back to the earth.

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to know more about Our Lady of the Herbs:

Polish Customs, Traditions and Folklore, Hippocrene Books, Inc.
Polish Herbs, Flowers and Folk Medicine, Hippocrene Books, Inc.

​Andrew Golebioski, board member of the Cooks Creek Heritage Museum, shares the history of the roadside cross in his community located northeast of the City of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada:

     
​     “My ancestors immigrated to this area from Galicia in and around 1900. It is in a rural area where many Polish and Ukrainian Galicians settled around the turn of the century. From around 1896-1905, the Canadian Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton, embarked on a policy of European immigration to help settle and develop the Canadian prairies. Key to this was the development of the area's agricultural potential. Many Galicians settled in our area, built churches, raised families, and created whole communities. I remember this shrine from when I was a child when I would drive past this location transporting farm machinery from one location to another. I'm 58 years old now.

​The site of this lone shrine is being maintained by the owner of the property next to it who is a descendant of one of the pioneer families to the area. He recalls there being pilgrimages to this cross many decades ago and believed the reason was as you wrote in your book, to pray for good harvests in the area. I have gained a new appreciation for the importance of this unique historical and religious artefact in our area. It is a link to "the old country." You will notice that it is starting to look a little weathered. The resident maintaining the site says he has already obtained lumber to renew it and intends to do it when he has time. I think we may look into having some form of ceremony when this work is completed, again, as a result of the information you provided.

The shrine is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Zora Road and Willowdale Road, in the Rural Municipality of Springfield. This is about 30 kilometers northeast of the City of Winnipeg.
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We are currently investigating who may have first erected this particular shrine. It is close to both the Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic churches that were, and still are, here. I also remember a second one in the area but cannot remember exactly where it was. We are trying to establish that location and are asking some of the senior residents of the community.”

​Photos by Andrew Golebioski.

Thank you, Andrew, for writing and sharing the story of the roadside shrine in your area. You honor your ancestors in this remembrance. Although they are silent, roadside crosses and shrines, speak as witnesses to the history, faith and cultural heritage of a region. Życzę wszelkich sukcesów! (Wishing you every success!)

Spirit of Place: The Roadside Shrines of Poland (Hippocrene Books, Inc. 2023) is the book that inspired Andrew to write and share the story of the cross in his community. 
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Is there a cross or roadside shrine in your community
founded by our Polish ancestors?  Please feel free to click on the CONTACT link and share its story.