Today, December 2nd, marks the beginning of Advent season for 2019. In Polish tradition there is a beautiful custom surrounding Advent called roraty. It is a special early morning mass, before daybreak, devoted specifically to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The special name for this mass comes from the Introit, the opening antifon or Latin chant, Rorate Coeli, at the beginning of the mass. It was the prayer of the prophet Isaiah(45:8) begging the Lord for the arrival of a Savior. The mass is said before dawn, in the dark, as a symbol that the world was in darkness until the arrival of Jesus as Light of the World. A special feature of the mass is the lighting of a special candle decorated with a white or blue ribbon, the colors associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Gwiazda Zaranna, the Morning Star. Traditionally the liturgy began in the dark, the faithful often coming with their own candles to light their way. In this day and age, when many do not have access to churches that still offer this mass, the faithful can still have their own rorata, their own candle that is lit each morning before dawn. It can be their own time of thoughtfulness, reflection and quiet prayer during the Advent season while listening to Rorate coeli the Latin chant that opens the mass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f06qdhO_sEY
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There were many important feast days when it came to gathering herbs and flowers in Poland but the single most important date occurred on the church celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15. So vital was this day that it was, and still is, called Matka Boska Zielna, Our Lady of the Herbs. On this special feast day, every village woman brought a bouquet of flowers, plants and herbs to church in order to be blessed by the priest. In the Pomorze area, the northwest section of Poland, they have a saying on this day: "Każdy kwiat woła, weź mnie do koscioła!" (Every flower calls, take me to church!) The women gathered whatever plants or greenery grew in their region, or the herbs and flowers they especially loved or needed. In the Mazowsze and Podlasie area took hyssop, southernwood, lavender, and mullein. They also took lovage, branches of the hazel tree, hemp and mint. Both herbs from the garden and the wild were gathered. These included poppy(Polish: mak), peony (Polish: piwonia, sage (Polish:szalwia), thyme (Polish: macierzanka), tansy (Polish: wrotycz), dill (Polish: koper), caraway (Polish: kminek), mugwort (Polish: bylica), chamomile (Polish: rumianek) (Kolberg Krakowskie I 1962: 227) Since the feast day coincided with the time of the harvest, it was also customary to take a few spikes of various grains such as rye(Polish: żyto), wheat (Polish: pszenica) or oats (Polish: owies) The gathered and blessed herbs were used in endless ways: as part of wedding rituals, and death practices but mostly, medicinally. In the country villages there were few practicing physicians. Isolated and often poverty stricken, they were usually left to their own devices to treat themselves as best they could, utilizing various herbs and plants. All the plants and herbs were felt to be stronger, more effective for having been blessed. The most popular, most well known medicinal plants, and frequently brought to church included: Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris) Polish: Bylica. Depending on their symptoms, mugwort was used to bathe a person back to health; used in poultices, it helped in pain along the spine or back as well as ease the pains of childbirth. If gathered from nine different areas helped women in situations where they were unable to conceive. Southernwood (Artemesia abrotanum) Polish: Boze Drzewko. Universally used in treatment of bruises and contusion by application of poultices Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) Polish: Piołun. Wormwood appears all over Poland in wastelands and roadsides as well as in established herb gardens. The old herbals advised that an infusion of the dried leaves as a tea as a treatment for bad breath arising from the stomach, dispelling stomach gas, improving digestive juices and at the same time can build appetite. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) Polish: Rumianek. An infusion of the flower was taken for a fever, stomach troubles or various women's issues such as infertility or overlong menstruation. A compress of chamomile applied to the brow relieved headache, and was applied to wounds and to the eyes when suffering from a sty. Mullein (Verbascum Thapsis) Polish: Dziewanna. A tea brewed from the dried or fresh flowers was used for illnesses of the chest and difficulty breathing. Fried with butter it was used to gray pimples and other skin eruptions and burns. Coltsfoot ( Tussilago farfara) Polish: Podbiał pospolity. Found in every home medicine cabinet it was used for skin rashes, scrapes and tears of the skin on the arms and legs; for a cough and difficulty breathing and as a tea for most respiratory complaints. Comfrey(Symphytum officinale)Żywokost. This plant is one of the best loved of all healing herbs. This tall, hairy leaved plant was used to heal broken bones, tears of the flesh and also for the aches of rheumatism. It was used both externally and internally. A deconcoction from the leaves, or flowers treatedrespiratory disorders. The root mashed together with an animal fat was used as a poultice for sprains and broken bones. Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra L) Polish: Dziki bez czarny. A common plant through all of Europe, elderberry was also called bez lekarski, i.e., medicinal elderberry, to indicate its medicinal properties. The juice from the berries was especially beneficial for coughs. It would pull away the inflammation from infected wounds when the leaves and the skin were mixed with chalk and applied to the wounds. Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) Polish: Skrzyp polny. This was also a much valued plant for its diuretic properties and as an infusion utilized for problems with the bladder or kidneys but must herbals caution that it must be on the weaker side as it is powerful and could weaken the individual. Linden(Tilia cordata) Polish: Lipa drobnolista. From ancient times the linden was considered a sacred tree. It was so powerful that the fibers of the linden tree could tie up a devil. Branches of linden which had decorated an altar on the feast of Corpus Christi protected the house against lightning, when planted among a field of cabbage would protect it against bugs; teas made from the flower of linden was used to treat chronic cough, mucous and phlegm in the chest and larynx, to make one sweat. Nettle (Utica diocia L) Polish: Pokrzywa. A tea made from the leaves of nettle for respiratory troubles, chiefly coughs. The leaves and stems were mashed and mixed with sugar which made a syrup within a few days. Plantain (Plantago maior L )Polish: Babka zwyczajna, the mashed leaves are applied to the skin for wounds and ulcers. Thyme (Thymus Serphyllum) Polish: Macierzanka. Used in the treatment of rheumatism. When bathed in it, it treated skin ailments and added to teas to treat gastrointestinal ailments. Yarrow (Achilla millefolium) Polish: Krwawnik. This plant was used in poultices for inflamed and pus filled cuts and wounds by mashing and applying it to the wound. For the treatment of arthritis it is made into a liniment by soaking it in spirytus(alcohol) for 24 hours and applying to the limbs. Google Image. The characteristic dish prepared on the occasion of the Green Holidays(Pentecost) was jajecznica or, as it was called in some parts of Poland wajeczyna or wajeczynica. It was a simple dish of scrambled eggs. The eggs were fried somewhere in the open air, most often by a forest or in a meadow, near a river or stream. Friends, relatives or neighbors got together and went out to the forest or to a nearby river. Using river rock or stones found nearby, they built up a bonfire on which to fry the eggs. Each housewife brought a few eggs in their aprons or baskets, a chunk of smoked bacon, or sausage, a large fry pan and a loaf of rye bread and some chives. The housewives placed portions of the scrambled eggs on pieces of the rye bread and distributed it those present. The men brought some alcohol to share and enliven the festivities. The young also invited a village musician to this scrambled egg feast because it was a great opportunity to be together to sing and dance until late in the evening.
There are many aspects to the celebration of Pentecost in Poland. The official church name is Zesłania Ducha Swiętego, the Descent of the Holy Ghost. In Polish folk tradition, this time of year celebrated the blossoming and greening of nature and was called Zielone Swiątki, the Green Holidays. In very ancient times it marked the end of spring ( Pentecost ends the liturgical Easter season) and the beginning of summer. It was connected with many agricultural beliefs and customs and ceremonies that date to ancient pre-Christian times and the pagan cult of trees, water and fire. Among the most important among them was the triumphal "greening" of the world once again. The newly budded branches , symbolized the revival of life, fertility and the promise of a harvest. It was believed that the green branches also protected from spells, plagues and all evil and accounts for their widespread use in the festivities that centered around the home, barnyard, fences . The tree branch that plays one of the most important roles was that of the birch tree. It comes up consistently in the celebration of the Green Holidays in various parts of Poland. It was to have the power to protect against witchcraft and the evil eye. Branches were tucked not just behind holy pictures and placed in vases, etc., but most often nailed around windows and especially the door, the entrance to the house, as well as tucked into the thatched roof of the cottage. Sometimes young green birch trees were placed in pots at the entrance to the cottage, and another entrance, the gates to the yard. Other greening branches were used as well such as maple, linden and hornbeam to decorate fences as well as church altars and roadside shrines. The second most important greenery to be collected for the home on this holiday was the fragrant , scented sweet flag, known in Latin as Acorus Calamus. In Polish it is known as tatarak, kalmus, kalmusowym ziele or Tatarskie ziele. Growing in wet, marshy areas near rivers and streams it was placed in vases on a home altar or in the corners of the main room of the cottage. There was a saying: Zielone Świątki - tatarak w kątki (The Green Holidays, calamus in the corners). The most preferred method of having sweet flag in the house was to cut or chop it into smaller pieces and scatter it on the floors of the house. Whether a humble, hard packed floor of a cottage or the wooden floor of a manor house, the sweet smelling herb(many say smells like cinnamon) was indispensable. In the mid 1800's Polish ethnographer Oskar Kolberg described it: "On the day(Pentecost) they sweep the porch and the front of the house, and sprinkle the place with calamus..." I think it's time to bring in some greenery and plant some calamus! Google image. National Museum of Krakow(Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie Wielkanoc is a small village located on the Gołcza River, about 19 miles north of Kraków. Translated into English, Wielkanoc means Easter. There's a lot of speculation about how the village got it's unusual name. One theory is that it was a place where the Passion Mysteries, the mysteries associated with death of the Messiah, was at one time actively celebrated but no one really knows for sure.....the first documented evidence of the village can be found in the Jagiellonian Library. It appears that a certain man named Wilko and another serf named Jan were in dispute over a cow that was supposedly stolen from a pasture. We don't know who stole or who was the injured party but there you have it -people being people- even back in 1382, shortly after the time of Casimir the Great. Wielkanoc is so small it doesn't have its own church. The faithful travel to nearby town of Gołcza, where the first Catholic church was built in 1214, then burnt down by invading Tartars, rebuilt again in 1326, then in 1585 and 1757 and again in 1983. There has been a Catholic Church in Gołcza even before the founding of Wielkanoc. During the time of the Protestant Reformation (1517-1648), under the tolerant reign of King Sigismund II Augustus, Lutherism and Calvinism gained many followers in Poland especially among upper classes and intellectuals. In 1613, the tiny Wielkanoc is chiefly Protestant. Here comes the Swedish invasion (1655-1660). It not only significantly reduces the number of residents of Wielkanoc but Charles Gustav's retreating army robs the Protestant church treasury and burns the church. Things change. There is a slow decline in the numbers of Protestants and in the village itself. Poland suffers the partitions by Austria, Prussia and Russia. There are Uprisings and revolts against the foreign powers. According to the Polish gazetteer, Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i Innych Krajów Słowianskich, there are 12 houses and 130 inhabitants in Wielkanoc in 1827. Another change. The new owner of Wielkanoc is a Jakubowski, a Catholic who marries the Lutheran daughter of the previous owners of the village. The last Protestants move out. Those that remain convert to Catholicism and the village is once again Catholic. What does a small, ancient 600 year old village with an illustrious name like Easter do at Easter time? They do what their Catholic ancestors have always done. On Palm Sunday they make tiny crosses from hazel twigs blessed in their church on Palm Sunday. They place the crosses in every field, so that "clouds of hail can see that this field belongs to the believer, " and pray with these words: "Lord, let the sign of your passion protect this earth and its fruits from all misfortunes and crop failures." Good Friday is an important day in the life of Wielkanoc. There is spring in the town that emerges out of limestone rock. It is said that the water has special curative powers. Village lore says that the waters saved a supposedly uncurable child with cancer who was brought there and submerged in the freezing waters by his grandfather as a last hope.( People have attributed special magical powers to the origins of springs and streams since pagan times, since way before the founding of the village in 1382). After two weeks of struggling with the disease, the boy got better. And since that time people come to the spring on Good Friday seeking good health. Here's the catch: you have to come here on Good Friday before the sun rises. Only ablution before sunrise is effective, because then the water has the greatest power. Everyone first submerges their hands in the icy stream, rinsing their eyes with water and then the entire face. They wash their eyes so that they can better see the world, so that they can see the truth. They wash the face to ensure good health. And sometimes they take a pitcher of the water home, to make themselves a pot of tea. On Holy Saturday the inhabitants bring their baskets of food to the roadside chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima for their food to be blessed as faith and tradition dictates. On Easter Sunday, the faithful travel to their parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gołcza, in the diocese of Kielce, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, to the church where they have worshipped since time forgotten. The vigil of Easter, called the Wielka Noc (later put together into one word of Wielkanoc?) or Great Night, has passed into the dawn of Easter Sunday. The Resurrection Mass begins with the rising of the sun and the church bells ring with the jubilant words of "Chrystus Zmartwychwstał" (Christ is Risen). The people of Easter (Wielkanoc) celebrate Easter. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnote: The known origin and history of Wielkanoc is chiefly due to one Ludwik Duda, an inhabitant of the village who took it upon himself to research records at the Jagellonian library and to write the story of his little town and left it in the safekeeping of his family so that descendants could know (and through knowing, appreciate) the life of a place called Easter. Google image Happy Easter( Wielkanoc). Wesołego Alleluja. By the time we gathered together around the table on Christmas Eve, the kitchen windows were completely fogged up and you could hardly see what was going on outside. It gave me a sense of being cut off from the world and that everything that was important was now happening inside. My mother has been cooking the entire day. The kompot (compote) of apples and raisins, made early this morning is chilling .The mushroom soup is hot. There are pots and pans all over -on the stove, on the counters, and a there's huge board with cheese pierogi waiting to be boiled and served as desert later on. There's an overall sense of urgency to get things done by dusk. On the cloth covered table are my mother's best dishes, the ones with the picture of wheat on it that she painstakingly collected from boxes of Duz detergent. I set out the silverware she bought when she redeemed her S & H green stamps. In the center of the table, one of the smaller wheat plates, is the opłatek, sent to my mother from her family in Poland. The white earthenware pitcher that traveled from Germany, then to France and here to America, is filled with a milky hot tea. To the table is added a platter of fried fish and then bowls of boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. My mother covers all the hot food with lids from the cooking pots to keep the food warm and calls everyone to come and take our respective places at the table. Standing by our chairs in our nice clothes my mother takes off her apron, so that she, too, is at her best. She slowly looks around at all of us, gathers her thoughts together and begins our Wigilia tradition with the sign of the cross. "W imię Ojca, Syna i Ducha Świętego. Amen." In the name of the Father son and Ghost. Amen. We pray together in Polish. First the Our Father, then a Hail Mary and then we fall silent to listen to my mother give thanks for the gifts. " O Jezu, dziękujemy Ci za wszystkie łaski i dobrodziejstwo Twoje i błagamy ci.." (O Jesus, we give you thanks for all your graces and goodness and beg of you...). When she is finishes, we remain standing for the single, most important part of this night, of this entire Christmas season. All of Advent, all the day's work and preparation, with all of our ancestors looking over our shoulders, it boils down to this moment: the ancient Polish custom of sharing the "opłatek"(pronounced "oh-pwah-tech"), the Christmas Eve wafer. In its physical form, the opłatek, the Christmas Eve wafer, is a thin, white, unleavened piece of bread made from flour and water similar to the wafer used during holy communion in many Christian religions. It is considered holy, but it is not consecrated. In earlier times it was circular in shape but is now mostly a large or small rectangle. The word opłatek comes from the Latin word oblatum, meaning "to offer" or "to bring to, " because in its centuries-old history, this thin bread has always been shared with family and friends and gives it its intangible, symbolic meaning: offering it to others is a sign of caring, of friendship and love. It is also a symbol of reconciliation and forgiveness because in old Polish tradition it was an acknowledged fact that if you invited your worst enemy to Wigilia to share opłatek, to share bread, it meant that you forgave whatever differences there were between you; that you were looking for reconciliation and words need not be said. The sharing of oplatek is done with an open, accepting, loving, and also forgiving, heart. It was always my mother that initiated the moment of sharing by taking the plate containing the opłatek off the table and asking my father to join her in the center of the kitchen. Standing there in front of us, my mother could have said a lot of things to my father. He worked very hard, never missed work, but drank too much and often gambled but I don't remember any recriminations, any accusations on this night. In that moment there was only unconditional positive regard. Offering him the opłatek she had in her hand she'd say "Józek, you work so hard to provide for us and I want you to know how much I appreciate that. May you be healthy and strong and be continually blessed..." My father would accept the wafer she offered to him and then offered her a piece of his opłatek, expressing his gratitude for her housekeeping skills, for being a good mother and raising the children. And then it was my oldest brother Michael who approached them and then each of us in turn with both our parents and with each other - breaking and offering each other the opłatek. I always felt a bit shy and uncomfortable being praised by my parents. Most of the time they were busy correcting me and telling me how to do better but not on this night, not while sharing opłatek. It felt good to hear the good things - that I was a help around the house, how pleased they were that I was studying hard and doing well in school and to keep at it. It felt wonderful to be recognized for the positives. That's the power of sharing the opłatek and why the custom has endured over the centuries; why it remains one of the most significant aspects of the Christmas season for Poles and Polish Americans; why, regardless of wars and governments and separation, it is sent to families across continents and oceans: why the custom is so cherished: it is a symbolic bread of love and forgiveness that nourishes the soul and spirit of all those who partake in it. Lately I've been taken with the notion of planting a Midsummer Garden, and call it ogród Kupalnocka, or ogródek Świętojanskie, a garden that celebrates the key herbs and plants that played an important role in the ancient summer solstice celebrations of Poland. I always find it amazing to read about those long, long ago days, when on the longest day and shortest night of the year, ancient people paid homage to the gods of fire, water and vegetation; how they lit huge bonfires on mountaintops, along the valleys and river banks, and danced around the fires, staying up to greet the rising sun; where young maidens collected plants and herbs while dancing naked in the evening dew and then wove wreathes that were floated on water as homage to their god; and how specific plants collected on this night were felt to have special power for both healing and magical purposes, to do good or to do evil. It was a night celebrated by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Druids, Vikings as well as Germanic and Slavic tribes. The Latvians call it Jāņi ( Jan or John). The Poles call it Noc Świętojanska, the eve of St. John the Baptist, a name given to this night after the advent of Christianity, but the old names of Sobótka( for the fires that burned that night) or Kupalnocka(the night of the ancient god Kupala) persisted for centuries afterward. At the center of the garden would be elderberry(Sambucus nigra). In Polish it is known as bez czarny or dziki bez czarny, the wild black lilac to differentiate it from the other lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and was also called bez lekarski, i.e., medicinal elderberry, to indicate its healing properties. It's a tall lovely shrub with large white flowers that eventually turn into the small, purple elderberries that is used to make syrup or wine. It was seen as both a holy and demonic tree, both magical and medicinal, untouchable except under certain conditions. Planted near the home it was believed protective of the house and its inhabitants. Wherever it grew, in an established garden or in the wild, it wasn't to be dug out or it branches cut without courting death or other grave consequences. It's roots were not to be disturbed. In those early days when little was known about the causes of illness and it was felt that an illness could be "transferred" to some other object, children who were sick were placed on the ground under the tree while the parents chanted: "Święty bzie, weź moje bolenie pod swoje zdrowe korzenie." Holy elderberry, take my hurt Into your healthy roots Gathered on the eve of the summer solstice it had super powers to heal. The juice from the berries was especially beneficial for coughs. It would pull away the inflammation from infected wounds when the leaves were mixed with chalk and applied to the wounds. Salves were made to treat the pain of rheumatism. If one was to gather its branches for medicinal and healing purposes, it had to be done, according to folk belief, in complete silence. The single most important plant that should be in this garden is mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris). It's Polish name is bylica. My guess is that you've seen this plant growing around roadsides and empty fields and not given it a second look. I always find it growing around abandoned railroad tracks. It grows 3 to 4 feet high, and is not very showy but it was at one time considered one of the oldest and most esteemed of herbs, woven into both witchcraft and healing practices of Poland. Sixteenth century herbals claimed it could break all spells and later herbals in the 20th century documented its continued use to incense against spells and the evil eye. On St. John's Eve branches of mugwort were hung over doors, windows and tucked into eaves against evil souls and witches; girls would run out at dawn to pluck mugwort to throw into the midsummer fires and to wear around the waist in the belief that their backs would not hurt during the harvest or around their head to keep away headaches. It's also doubtful you'll find the next plant at your local nursery but it's easy enough to recognize growing wild in the fields because of its small yellow flowers. When you crush the flower it bleeds red on your fingertips. The plant was so much part of this night it received the name ziele świętojanskie (herb of St.John) or St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum). In Polish it is called dziurawiec, or dzwonki Panny Marii (bells of the Blessed Mother). Hung in the window it protected the house against lightning. A tea made from the buds of this plant assisted in many illnesses of the gastrointestinal tract, the liver as well as the respiratory tract. It's red color was believed to heal internal bleeding and clear the blood. The herb arnica (Arnica Montana ) or Arnica Górska growing in the hills and mountain tops of Poland is often called by its more ancient folk name of kupalnik, from the ancient god Kupala. It bears a lovely yellow, daisy-like flower. It was one of the herbs that young girls (now with their clothes back on) wove into the wreaths for their hair and around their waist along with mugwort. St. John's Wort, and thyme and danced around the fire, occasionally throwing in a stem or branch from each of the herbs in order to stave off any evil. There are numerous other herbs plants that could be included in this garden. Wormwood (piołun) also effective against witches; lovage (lubczyk) and adder's tongue (nasięźrzał) for love potions; chamomile (rumianek) to help me sleep at night; mint(mięte) for a soothing tea. I know it will be too late to have anything substantial for this year's Sobótka but for me, my garden always seems to be about "next year" anyway, i.e., next year I'll plant earlier, next year it's going to look great, next year maybe we won't have as many rabbits, and so on. I doubt very much that I'll be dancing naked in the evening dew as I collect my plants but next year I'll have some herbs and plants to throw into the midsummer fire. Painting by J. Ryszkiewicz title "Na Palmowa" ( For Palm Sunday). Google Images. After the long days of fasting and prayer during Lent, the arrival of Palm Sunday was a joyous occasion for the people of Poland. It meant that Lent would soon be over but more importantly it ushered in the most important celebrations of the Catholic faith. In Catholic liturgy, Palm Sunday celebrates the day on which Jesus, riding on an ass entered Jerusalem with his disciples. He was met by cheering crowds who threw palm and olive branches before Him. In Poland, one of the names for Palm Sunday was, and still is, Niedziela Wierzbowa, or Willow Sunday. Lacking the palms that were indigenous to Jerusalem the Polish people looked for the first harbinger of spring. Among the first to blossom were the furry catkins of pussy willow. If Palm Sunday fell very early on the calendar, the branches would be cut and brought indoors to be placed in warmth and water to encourage them to blossom in order to have a "palm" to take to church to be blessed on that day, something the Poles had been doing since blessing palms was introduced in the Catholic liturgy in the 11th century. The willow branches became a symbol of spring, of renewal, of Christ's death and Resurrection. It also became embedded in the customs, traditions, and beliefs of the people of Poland as well as in its art and literature. Writing in the early 1900's, Polish writer Władysław Reymont described the importance of the willow branches on Palm Sunday in a small Polish village in his Noble Prize winning book, Chłopi (The Peasants: Spring): He (Witek) threw down an entire bunch of still damp branches covered in golden catkins on the chest and Józka began arranging them, tying them with red wool. "Józia, you'll let me carry the palms?" he asks. "You know that only women may take them to be blessed," she replies. "I'll give them back to you in front of the church...only to carry them through the village." Returning home with the blessed willow branches "...she set about swallowing the buds, for the consecrated palm boughs were believed to be a preservative against sore throats." The swallowed buds also protected against headaches when the blessed branch was touched three times to the head. The blessed pussy willows would also be used later on Easter Monday when individuals would lightly strike a person to assure against illnesses and to expel the winter doldrums by saying: Nie ja biję, Wierzba bije, Bądź zdrów do roku i po roku! I don't strike you, the Willow strikes you. Be healthy all year and beyond the year. The blessed branches were believed to bring good fortune and prosperity. The end of a branch was inserted in holy water and used to bless the house, farmyard, and barn. They were tucked behind holy pictures and a small piece was nailed above an entry way where it stayed all year long in order to bring God's blessings and protection to the house. It was believed that the blessed palms protected against fire and strikes by lightning. To insure this the pussy willows were also tucked into rafters and during storms a branch was placed next to the burning gromnica, the candle lit during time of thunder and lightning. During the Easter week activities the palms were struck into the earth to protect the fields from the destruction of crops by hail and placed at the corners/ boundaries of fields in order to assure a good crop. Pieces of the palm branch or the catkins were placed in the nest of geese and ducks, in the eaves of a beehive, plaited into a fishing net or placed under the blade of a plow when it first went out for the first plowing in the spring. The cows were touched with a blessed branch when they went out to pasture for the first time in the spring to protect them against witches who would steal their milk. It was placed in the barn when the first sheaves of wheat and rye were brought in as protection against mice and other insects that could ruin the grain. Throughout the year the blessed palms were used in all aspects of home life until the approach of Lent when the old palms were burned and the ashes used to make the sign of the cross on the foreheads of the faithful on Ash Wednesday. And then the cycle began once again when the people of Poland waited once again for the next greening of the willow boughs to be proudly (as Reymont's character seems to suggest) carried through the village and to church to be blessed once again. As Holy Saturday approaches many Polish Americans are looking for a butter lamb to include in their święconka, the basket of food taken to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. You can find them ready-made in grocery stores in communities that have a large Polish American population. You can buy a wooden mold on-line in the shape of a lamb and press one out yourself. But you can make also make one yourself with a simple quarter pound of butter. Making a butter lamb is a great way to involve kids in the ancient tradition of preparing the święconka basket. My niece still recalls how much fun it was to handcraft her own butter lamb to take to church to be blessed. 1. Allow a quarter of butter to soften almost to room temperature but still having a hardness to it. 2. Place on small dessert size plate that will fit in the basket you will be using to bless the food. Using a small paring knife with a sharp tip, cut off a quarter piece and place on top of the remaining piece as shown in step 1 of the illustration. This will form the rough shape for the lamb. 3. With the sharp tip of the knife begin shaping the neck of the lamb by scooping out where the two pieces meet. Place the scoopings against the bottom piece of butter along the front, sides and the back end or the top. This will begin filling out the body while giving shape to the neck. 4. Round out the edges of the head using the knife and continue to place the scrapings on top of the smaller piece to give a round shape to the head. 5. To make the ears, load the tip of your paring knife with a little bit of the butter taken from somewhere on the would-be lamb and shape it along the tip of the knife being careful not to cut yourself (or the kids!). Then place the knife, with the tip pointing downward against the side of the head and draw the knife upwards. 6. Use whole cloves or peppercorns for eyes. 7. By this time the butter will be sufficiently soft. Using a toothpick, make a circular forward motion in the butter along the sides and back of the lamb as well as the back and sides of the head. This will give the lamb a fleecy look. 8. Using the tip of the toothpick, imbed a very small piece of parsley where the mouth would be. This gives the appearance that the lamb is partaking of some spring greenery. 9. Place a thin piece of red ribbon around the neck and cross over at the base of the throat. It will stay in place by virtue of sticking to the butter. 10. Make the red banner out of construction paper or ribbon that is one and a half inches wide. Make a white cross on the banner with white paper or thin white ribbon. The cross can also be bought at craft stores. Glue the banner to a white cocktail straw, a bamboo stick, or whatever is on hand that would be suitable. 11. Tuck some greenery around the lamb(curly parsley, alfalfa sprouts, carrot tops, boxwood, etc to give the impression of a lamb on a newly greened meadow. Tuck in some real or artificial violets, small eggs, etc. Let the kids decide! 12. Stick toothpicks in various places of the butter lamb and cover with some type of clear wrap and place in refrigerator to harden again until it's time to place in the basket to take to church. (From: The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab) |
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One of the biggest moments in my life was being able to sign for my very own library card. When I'm not reading, researching and writing I'm riding my bike, sewing or gardening. I love flea markets, folk art, and traveling to Poland.
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