Tradition

of Lent

Fat Thursday

Fat Thursday – In Christian calendar this is a traditional feast marking the last Thursday before Lent. It is connected with carnival. The exact date of Fat Thursday depends on the date of Easter.

Lent

Lent it is time that prepares us for Easter. It takes 40 days. It is treated as a time of penance and conversion in Church. Its recommendations are fasting, almsgiving and prayer. During Lent in the church flowers at the altar disappear and the mood of repentance is present in the temple.

Easter’s Eve

Easter’s Eve - the rite celebrated on the night of the Resurrection . It is an integral and essential part of the Paschal Triduum .

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday- In Christian calendar it is the first day of Lent. As a tradition on this day the priest puts the ashes made from branches blessed on the previosu Palm Sunday on the heads of holy mass participants. This tradition emerged in the VIII century. In the XI century the Pope Urban II converted the Ash Wednesday into an obligatory holiday.

April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day – a custom associated with the first day of April , celebrated in many countries around the world . It consists of making jokes, intentional misleading, lie, competing in trials, encouraging others to believe in something untrue . On this day in many different media humorous information appear. April Fool's Day began to be popular in the late Middle Ages . Probably it refers to the old ancient Roman practice.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday in the Christian calendar, it is seven days before Easter and since then Holy Week begins . It was established to commemorate the arrival of Christ into Jerusalem. It begins a period of spiritual preparation for Easter , which focuses on the Passion of Christ . Palm Sunday is celebrated in Poland since the Middle Ages. According to the rites of the Catholics that day palms (a symbol of reviving life) are brought to church. Since 1986, according to the will of Pope John Paul II Palm Sunday is also World Youth Day

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday- also known as Holy Thursday is the Christian holy day on the Thursday before Easter. It is the fifth day of Holy week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. This day is a remembrance of establishment of priesthood and Holy mass by Jesus Christ.

Good Friday

Good Friday- is a Christian holiday in rememberance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. On this day you can not eat meat and in the church there is a Way of Sorrows

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday – This is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy week. It commemorates the day in which Jesus Christ's body was lied in the tomb. On Holy Sturday you go to the church not on the liturgy but to consecrate food for Easter breakfast

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday - the first day of Easter . It is also the last day of the Easter Triduum . Easter begins on Saturday after the sunset. It begins with the liturgy of light. Outside the church the priest sets the holy fire , from which then Paschal ignites . The Polish custom is that after the morning Resurrection family has a solemn Easter breakfast , which starts with wishes and sharing the Blessing of the basket . In some regions , the parents hide in the house baskets with sweets or gifts from the Easter bunny , which children search. Sunday , like Monday, are in Poland, days off from work.

Wet Monday

Wet Monday – It is a celebration which is held on Easter Monday in Poland and also in some neighbour countries such as Czech republic, slovakia, Hungary. On this day boys traditionally throw water over girls and spank them with willow branches. Nowadays if the weather is beautiful enought on the streets of big cities as Kraków on Wet Monday there are regural water battles.

Holy Week

Holy Week - in Christianity festive time commemorating the last days of Christ , preparing for the biggest feast of the Christians, Resurrection . Special time in the Holy Week is the Easter Triduum . Holy Week , which in the Christian tradition appeared only in the fourth century , begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday .

The end