Poland is certainly one of the most religious countries in Europe. Most Poles are Catholics. Many are practicing Catholics. Churches and road chapels form integral part of Polish landscape no matter which part of the country you go to, whether it is the city or countryside. Many of them are true pearls of great architecture and arts. Most national feasts come together with different church events celebrated in a great fashion. Epiphany or Three Kings (Polish: Trzech Króli) is one of them. It takes place on January 6, which is officially a non-working day. On that day people gather by the churches to take part in huge processions welcoming the Wise Men. Children often dress up and wear paper crowns, the crowd sings carols, living nativity scenes are enacted, church leaders preach. Poles come back home with small packages containing chalk and incense in memory of the gifts of the Magi. They burn the incense to clean the home from bad energy and draw with the chalk the signs "K (or C) +M+B" on the doors to provide protection for the house against misfortune and illness. The signs stand for the names of the Three Kings in Polish: Kacper (or Cacper), Melchior and Baltazar or Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ Bless This House). Epiphany in Poland marks the beginning of the carnival with another great feast Fat Thursday, on which traditional pączki (doughnuts) and faworki (angel wings) are served. It is also worth noting that Poles have been long attached to their land as peasants and many of traditional church feasts grew up and borrowed a lot from earlier pagan celebrations strictly connected with praising natural powers.
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POLAND FOR BEGINNERS
Hi! My name is Victoria. Welcome to my personal travel photoblog about Poland created especially for you, my foreign friends, who are curious about Poland!
ABOUT MEEnglish philologist and film editor by education. Translator by occupation. A lover of my motherland Poland and globetrotter with journalist ambitions. Passionate about photography. I love traveling, active way of spending time and contact with nature. Experience and explore - that is what drives me! I am on the look for happy islands. Archives
March 2019
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VICTORIA TUCHOLKA |
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