1. EASTER TRADITIONS IN POLAND

2. Easter is very important for Polish people from the religious point of view, as Poland is a Catholic country. It is preceded, according to the religious tradition, by the Lent, which lasts for 40 days.

3. The week preceding Easter is the time of the intensive preparations, at the religious level and on the practical side. It is called the Holy Week.

4. Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. On this day people go to churches with colourful palms in their hands to have them blessed by the priest. This tradition is very alive in certain parts of Poland. There are even some contests organised, where the longest palm wins.

5. HOLY THURSDAY On Holy Thursday we take part in the mass that commemorates Jesus Christs Last Supper.

6. GOOD FRIDAY On Good Friday we commemorate the crucifiction Jesus Christ. It is very solemn day and we dont eat meat. An exeptional Mass takes place on that day- Way of the Cross - then the last moments of Jesus Christ`s life are read out from the Bible

7. EASTER SATURDAY Saturday, according to the old Polish tradition, is the day when the so calledholy menu is blessed by the priest at church. That is the final point of Easter preparation: houses are already clean and all the dishes for 2-day-feast should be ready, as when the blessed food" is in the house, there is not any more right to do preparation work. It is the time of reflection and vigil in church at the symbolic tomb of Jesus Christ.

8. EASTER SATURDAY Holy menu – what is it? It is called święconka, in English blessed food. Its a small garnished basket, where people put some hard-boiled eggs, bread, salt, meat, fruit and an Easter bunny, and they take it to church to have it blessed. The blessed food will start breakfast on Holy Sunday.

9. EASTER SUNDAY

10. Easter Sunday starts with Resurrection Mass at 6 a.m. After that, the whole family gathers at the table full of delicious things and have breakfast, which starts with a prayer. Then, the holy food is divided into chunks and every member of the family gets a small piece of it. Only then people can savour the rest of the dishes. Such breakfast can last long hours, as Polish people like to feast.

11. EASTER MONDAY Śmigus Dyngus

12. EASTER MONDAY Easter Monday in Poland is known as Wet Monday or Śmigus-Dyngus. During that day, it is allowed to pour water on others, even some unknown! So the best thing you can do, if you want to have dry clothes, is to stay at home, otherwise you have to take into account that you may get soaking wet! Formerly, pouring water on unmarried girls was the way of showing them men`s inerest. The more water the man poured on the girl, the more he liked her! Then the girl used to thank the boy for choosing her by offering him some decorated eggs!

14. Polish people observe the habit of decorating eggs. These eggs are called in Polish Pisanki or Kraszanki. They are usually colourfully painted or dyed. They can be also embellished with wax designs or the patterns can be carved in the shell with the use of a sharp tool. These beautiful eggs will be then a decoration of the table. EASTER SYMBOLS

15. RECIPES White borscht soup -- Polish bialy barszcz or żurek wielkanocny – is typically eaten on Easter Sunday morning and is made with most of the foods from the basket blessed on Holy Saturday. Makes 6 servings of Polish White Borscht Recipe Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 6 cups sausage cooking water, fat removed 1 clove minced garlic 2 cups sour cream 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 link white Polish kielbasa sausage, casing removed, sliced 1/4" thick 1 link smoked Polish kielbasa sausage, casing removed, sliced 1/4" thick 6 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks and boiled 6 hard-cooked sliced eggs 6 slices light or dark rye bread Salt and pepper to taste Preparation: In a large pot or Dutch oven, add sausage water and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. sausage water Fork-blend the flour and sour cream. Temper the sour cream with a little hot sausage water, then return to pot, stirring until thickened. Add sausages, potatoes and eggs to pot and heat until warmed through. Season to taste. At this point, some people add a pinch of sugar or a tablespoon of vinegar. The soup should have a pleasantly sour taste. Temper Into 6 heated bowls, tear rye bread into bite-sized pieces. Ladle hot soup over bread.rye bread

17. POLISH EASTER BUNDT CAKE Easter Bundt Cake - Babka Wielkanocna - Ania's Polish Food Recipe #13 - YouTube Easter Bundt Cake - Babka Wielkanocna - Ania's Polish Food Recipe #13 - YouTube

18. WE WISH YOU HAPPY AND PEACEFUL EASTER!

19. OUR TEAM THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION