This is the happiest celebration in the year. On Easter Sunday church bells ring in a special way, announcing Resurrection of Christ.
       People of Podhale believed that they can wake up sleeping knights in Tatry, to fight for free Poland.
       Easter day this year will be on 16^th of April. The holy week are Easter Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday .
Easter holiday will be on 13^th, 14^th, 15^th, 16^th and 17^th of April. Everyone likes this celebration because this is the time of joy.
       In Poland we have a lot of traditions. On Easter Saturday we go to church and have our food blessed. All the family have breakfast together on Easter Sunday. On Easter Monday everyone pours water at other people.
        We have great time because we are together.
The period of Lent:
The Ash Wednesday marks the end of the carnival and the starting day of Lent. It falls 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a day for remembering your sins and one is required to fast the entire day. During the Ash Wednesday mass, the priest puts some ash on the heads of people. It is meant to remind that everyone is mortal and will pass away one day.
Traditionally, the ashes are obtained from burning of the Easter Palms which were blessed on the Palm Sunday the previous year.

Wednesday in the middle of Lent used to be called “old-to-new day”. Children were encouraged to believe that at midnight old shoes, clothes etc. were magically transformed into new ones when taken to the top of a mountain. Unfortunately it was never proven as children would always fall asleep before midnight.
Palm Sunday:
While making Easter palms, people used to put apples on them for blessing. After the mass on Palm Sunday, palms were used to stroke cows and apples were given shared with them. This would ensure the cows would be healthy and give a lot of milk.
Palm Sunday in Poland starts the holy week. We make palms mainly from willow twigs, grass and decorate it with paper flowers, ribbons or fruit. We tie all of this together and form a long pole. We take these palms to church to have them blessed. Various competitions are organized for the highest and the prettiest one.
Easter Saturday:
On Easter Saturday people used to curve bouquet from wood, it was called ‘glowienko’ (meaning a small head from wood). The day after Easter Monday the bouquets were composed into crosses and taken to fields. It was meant to protect against lightning, hail and bring plentiful harvest.
On Easter Saturday people in Poland go to the church with baskets filled with all kinds of food to have it blessed. Each basket contains a pastry in the shape of lamb which is a symbol of Christ. It is an old Slavic custom. Everything is consumed on Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday:
On Easter Sunday people used to have scrambled eggs with bacon. Eggshells were hung on trees e.g. on apple trees, plum trees. It was supposed to bring good fruit harvest.
Easter Sunday used to be and still is all about the family. It was also a feast because it followed a long period of fasting.
Easter Monday:
From the early morning, young boys pour water over girls.,
It is believed that water has the power of cleaning and the soul. Pouring water over each other aims to make people remember to keep away form evil deeds.
Easter Basket,
•Egg is a sign of new life. It reminds us that Christ has resurrected.
Eggs is a symbol of new live and new begging. We paint eggs before Easter, because they are the symbol of a holiday. They are beautiful. On Easter Saturday we take them in a basket to church. It is an old custom to share these colourful eggs with one another, which is very nice and friendly.
• Jews had lamb during the last supper before they escaped from Egyptian captivity. It is a symbol of freedom.
• Salt protects meat from going bad. When it is blessed, salt is supposed to protect us from evil and our souls form spoiling.
• Bilberry, myrtle and box-wood are the signs of peace, which Christ brings. In Poland these are put into a basket instead of an olive twig.
• The bunny indicates that not only humans are joyful about the Resurrection of Christ, but the animals are happy too.
Easter Bunny is a symbol of generosity. According to an old tradition a bunny brings children presents during Easter.
Did you know that?
• Swallowing a willow bud which had been blessed was supposed to prevent throat infections, lung illnesses and other complaints.
• It used to be an Easter tradition to bake as many kinds of cakes as possible.

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