We still have pretty heavy winter here in New Hampshire, but hopefully snow will melt soon…In Poland you can really feel przedwiośnie (early spring). That’s why I wanted to talk to you about polish rites for summoning spring (obrzędy przywoływania wiosny).
I have to mention one holiday – The Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on March 25th. In Polish folk beliefs, Mother of God, who was announced her motherhood (macierzyństwo) by the angel Gabriel, was also the creator and patroness of awakening life in nature. She was called the Opener, as it was believed she awakened the earth and opened it for admitting new seed corn. She was also called Mother of God of the Streams, because she caused the ice on rivers and streams to melt and let their water start giving life again.
In Poland traditionally storks (bociany) are harbingers of the spring (zwiastuny wiosny). People believe they should be coming back from warm lands on the feast of Annunciation.
In Poland people have always rejoiced seeing storks coming back to their old nests (gniazda). They have even encouraged the birds to build new nests by fixing some cart wheels or used harrows, tree branches, sticks and shiny objects on the roof ridge of their house, barn or on the top of some old tree growing near the house. They believed that happiness (szczęście) lives under a stork’s nest (gniazdo bociana).
On the fourth Sunday of Lent there was an ancient custom (stary zwyczaj) of destroying a dummy by drowning or burning it. It was usually an effigy of a female character named Marzanna or some other similar names, who symbolized winter, disease, death and other evil things.
The effigy – a girl in a dressy dress with a wreath on her head and plaits with ribbons, fastened to a long pole was carried from house to house. It was supposed to take away all evil and misfortunes which accumulated there through the winter time. When they visited all houses with Marzanna, the effigy was taken outside the village, thrown to the ground, its clothes being pulled off and torn, and then all of it was set on fire. The burning fragments were thrown to a pond or river.
On the following day they brought a Green Bough (gaik) to the village. It was a big green, usually pine branch (gałązka sosny), ornamented with ribbons, crepe paper suns and blown eggs.
For the fetching of the bough the girls received pieces of cake, eggs, pretzels and small change.
Both rituals were aimed at destroying winter and a magic recall of spring.
Today the ceremony called Marzanna is propagated by television and takes place all over the country, even in the regions where initially was unknown. Its usual date is March 21st, the first day of spring. I remember this celebration when I was in middle and high school. We would only have an hour or two of classes, make Marzanna and take a trip to the local pond or river with it. Also, a lot of kids skipped school on that day – it was called wagary.
Are there any types of early spring traditions in USA?
If you do know about any – let us know.
Do następnego razu! (Till next time…)
