Easter greetings from the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to South Africa, Andrzej Kanthak
15.04.2022
Easter is the most important holiday of the year and is deeply rooted in Polish culture and tradition. It brings new hope and is inseparably connected with life. Easter abounds in folk traditions and customs, some of which are still vividly cultivated, and some are increasingly disappearing. The Easter breakfast tradition is still alive. Beautiful Easter palms are still created, Easter eggs painted with enthusiasm and the priests bless the food which the faithful bring to church every year on Holy Saturday. The popularity of Smingus-Dyngus Day does not decrease.
We start celebrating Easter already on the week before Easter Sunday when we observe Palm Sunday. Every year, hundreds of colorful Easter palms are carried to the churches in all Polish cities and villages. More and more often, especially in cities, Easter palms are being bought ready - made. Formerly, Easter palms were made at homes - usually from willow twigs, boxwood, currants, raspberries, dried herbs, feathers and flowers. The Easter palms blessed by the priests, were credited with magical properties, which is why they were taken eagerly to homes to ensure happiness for the family.
Holy Saturday is a day of Religious Worship and Adoration of Jesus Christ laid to the grave. In all the Catholic Churches, the priests bless the food brought by the faithful. On this day, the Christians come to churches with baskets filled with eggs, bread and cured meat, salt, horseradish, cakes or sometimes with sweets, boxwood twigs and very often sugar lamb - a symbol of the risen Jesus.
Painting eggs also belongs to Easter traditions in Poland. The custom comes from Old Slavic beliefs, in which the egg was very important. It symbolized vitality and, like today, the beginning of a new life and it also mediated between the human world and the world of spirits and gods.
Śmigus-dyngus Day is a custom that we also associate with Easter today. Originally, however, it was a Slavic custom, consisting in pouring water, symbolizing the purification coming after winter and the joy of the arrival of spring. Initially, it had a magical significance - pouring water was to ensure the right amount of rain during the year and guarantee abundant crops.
Easter makes us to reflect and strengthen our faith. It is a time when life wakes up again and fills us with hope for a better today and a more beautiful tomorrow, as well as the period of the year when nature comes to life after winter. May the coming Easter be an opportunity for us to reconcile and show love and respect to each other.
On this occasion, we would like to wish you peace, joy, hope in life and faith in the good -
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to South Africa Andrzej Kanthak with employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria
Photos: Grażyna Koornhof/Embassy of the Republic of Poland
