tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94153501139015622024-03-13T19:49:31.901+01:00Poland Is Awesome!More than just vodka.<br>
<hr>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-78078317213486609392014-08-03T21:33:00.003+02:002014-08-03T21:51:15.322+02:00Godzina "W"- the "W" Hour<div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">We celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising (sometimes called Warsaw Rising) this year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">In 1944, the Western side of Warsaw had been occupied by German forces for five years. The Ghetto had been murderously emptied in 1943, its own uprising having failed. On the Eastern bank of the river Vistula, in the part of the city we call Praga, the Soviet armies gathered. Soviet planes had been dropping pamphlets calling Warsaw to arms for months now, and radio transmissions from Moscow where the Polish Committee of National Liberation had been formed urged citizens to rise up against the Germans.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Meanwhile, the German occupants were already enacting a retreat. Administrative workers were being evacuated. As Hitler had said to Hans Frank, the Governor-General of occupied Poland: Warsaw, perceived to be the nest of the Polish resistance against the Nazi new world order- the 'Polish problem'- was to be destroyed at the nearest opportunity.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Today, some will say the Uprising provided that opportunity, and that it had been cleverly incited by the Soviets, who wanted a clean territory to move into. They could very well have expected it- Hitler's orders were clear: raze Warsaw to the ground and kill every single citizen. Take no prisoners: make it a terrifying example for the rest of the world.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Was the Uprising good or bad? This is a debate which happens every year. Decisions made by the Polish Home Army are often questioned, called foolishness or outright treason in the face of the 200,000 civilian deaths, destruction of 90% of the city, and the subsequent unhindered entry of the Soviets, who proved to be wolves in sheep's clothing. On the other hand, waiting meekly for rescue or oblivion was not a preferable fate- Poland had no options at that time, as even the Allies' help was insufficient, and blocked by the Soviets (sic!). We had already been sentenced to oblivion by both of our neighbours.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Whatever you make of it, one thing remains true: seventy years ago, citizens of Warsaw, civilian and military alike, fought against all odds for two months to liberate their city. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">We didn't always celebrate them- we weren't always able to. In fact, during the socialist days many former members of the Home Army and their families suffered severe repercussions. The Uprising was not a welcome or safe topic.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Even though the system changed in the 80s, it wasn't until the establishment of the Warsaw Rising Museum ten years ago that awareness of the Uprising began to improve. On the 60th anniversary, an advertising campaign aimed at young people was rolled out, featuring photographs of smiling elderly insurgents who would have been teenagers in 1944, and the question: "Would you go?"</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">I think that is the question we ask ourselves every time we notice the many reminders of the occupation scattered around Warsaw, every time we look at a building that looks old, and know that it was rebuilt from rubble. Would we go? </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You will see many, many plaques like these all around Warsaw. <span style="color: #444444; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">They say: </span><br />
"This place was sanctified by the blood of Poles who perished<br />
fighting for our country's freedom", with details below.<br />
In this case: <br />
"In this place on the 27th of September 1944,<br />
Hitler's soldiers shot 22 Poles in an insurgent hospital."</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">It's hard to put yourself in their place. They had no social media, no global information system. Their parents still remembered the first war, and their grandparents a time when Poland didn't even exist on the map. They lived in a country under the rule of an occupant who had made great efforts to erase their dignity through imposed language, racial and ethnic segregation enacted on multiple levels from the creation of a ghetto for Jews to tram carriages that said 'Nur für Deutsche', forced labour, deportations to concentration camps, random executions, and also very precisely planned executions aimed at cultural and national authority figures. Warsaw was no longer the capital. Warsaw was no longer a Polish city. Warsaw was dead.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Except it wasn't. Warsaw's motto is <i>Semper Invicta</i>- latin for 'Ever Invincible'. Clearly not because its walls have never been breached.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">If you happen to be in Warsaw on August 1st, go out into the street just before 5:00 p.m. and wait. 5:00 p.m. on that day is "W" hour. "W" for Warsaw, and for walka, wybuch, wystąpienie; battle, explosion, stepping forward. You should be out in the street, because when the sirens sound, everyone will stop in their tracks and stand still for one minute. People will get out of their cars and stand up from their meals at restaurants. Trams will pause on the rails, buses will turn off their engines. Flags will be raised and flares fired in perfect silence.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">And then everyone will go back to whatever it was they were doing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">It's my favourite way of celebrating the memory of the Uprising because it is the one that happens only because people want it to. Nobody forces us to stop. Nobody organises it. Nobody announces it, nobody stands up with a mic and says 'get ready now'. Nobody sets up a stage and gives out freebies afterwards. I guess at some point someone suggested: one minute of silence, and everyone thought it was a good idea. This happens in every part of Warsaw, and perhaps most spectacularly in the centre, where people no longer just stop what they are doing, but come out on purpose to pay their respects to those who fought.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">There is another latin motto which we often hear in Poland: <i>Gloria Victis</i>. Glory to the Defeated. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">I will blog again this month about other ways in which we pay our respects to the insurgents.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;">-------</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;">Meta:</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;">The video above was shot on August 1st 2014 by the Warsaw Rising Museum. For the 70th anniversary, we stood in silence for 70 seconds instead of the usual minute.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;">Warsaw Rising Museum website: <a data-mce-href="http://www.1944.pl/en/" href="http://www.1944.pl/en/" target="_blank">http://www.1944.pl/en/</a></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;">Wikipedia Entry on the Uprising: <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising</a></span></em></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-58191224884687324732014-06-04T19:38:00.000+02:002014-06-04T19:38:14.000+02:0025 years ago...<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none 0px;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />25 years ago the first free election took place in Poland- a partially free election, hard-won after a turmoil of long negotiations, workers’ strikes, deaths, injuries, military action and repressive tactics by the government against the opposition.</div>
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Eventually the Communist government was forced to recognise Solidarity as a legitimate political movement instead of dismissing it as disorganised riots. During the famous Round Table negotiations came an agreement to a compromise- a partially free election in which 65% of the mandates in the Sejm (parliament) would be reserved for the ruling Communist coalition.</div>
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Only the remaining 35% was up for grabs by any party… and the opposition, Solidarity, took 160 out of 161 available seats. </div>
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This overwhelming victory prompted changes in Poland which the government had simply not anticipated, and which the Polish people themselves had not quite believed would be possible. Suddenly communism was no longer a status quo with no end in sight, but a crumbling system that could be challenged. Suddenly, the opposition had power beyond rallies and strikes. People had voted, and their vote counted.</div>
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I remember going to the voting booth with my parents, and I remember going to rallies and fundraisers for weeks before then. I was very young but the urgency of this change was clear to me, and I will always remember the hopeful atmosphere of those days. </div>
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Here is a drawing I did afterwards- my mother later showed it to Wałęsa who signed it for me. :) I was six years old.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0stv3RWl-XE/U49YZ2m2D5I/AAAAAAAAC4M/_vjhbrvevpA/s1600/rysunek_solidarnosc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0stv3RWl-XE/U49YZ2m2D5I/AAAAAAAAC4M/_vjhbrvevpA/s1600/rysunek_solidarnosc.jpg" height="640" width="455" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Solidarity logo- below a portait of Lech Wałęsa <br />(with his name in the wrong declension and a spelling error),<br />one of the slogans "No freedom without Solidarity", <br />my childish rendition of <a href="http://www.poster.pl/poster/baluk_zaborowska_ewa_solidarnosc_bybory_89/pl" target="_blank">this poster</a>,<br />and a drawing of people voting!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-36190650522063562072014-05-31T21:41:00.000+02:002014-05-31T23:30:41.968+02:00You can't warp in the rain, or a day in the Radomskie regionOne Thursday morning my neighbour Mariza called me up.<br />
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"I'm going to the countryside on Friday, there's a huge old loom that needs setting up! And we'll be winding the thread onto the warping mill. Are you coming with?"<br />
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What a silly question. Weaving is a great tradition of almost every folklore, and woven cloth is particularly beautiful in Poland. The most recognisable traditional pattern is simply a composition of colourful stripes, and Mariza, aside from having a loom of her own, just happens to be friends with an elderly woman who had supported herself all of her life by weaving skirts, shawls, blankets, and ceremonial rugs and throws of all sorts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical Polish striped throw</td></tr>
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So we got into the car bright and early at 6 in the morning. Even St. Christopher on the dash seemed sleepy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Święty Krzysztof, patron of travellers</td></tr>
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"I might stop at chapels," Mariza said, and that was all right by me. Roadside chapels are a peculiar characteristic of Poland, and they range from quaint to kitschy. It was may, and may is when the women of the villages decorate the chapels with garlands of flowers and ribbons.
There is even a verb pertaining to this: <b>'umaić'</b>. To make something 'May-worthy'. Something that is <b>'umajone' </b>has been festively and brightly decorated.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three chapels we stopped at. Mariza nicknamed the last one 'the road to Heaven'.</td></tr>
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I digress- I'll do one about chapels another time.<br />
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For now, a couple of hours later, we arrived at the weaver's house, ready and eager to set up shop.<br />
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"<i>Pani Krysiu</i>," Mariza called, in that manner which sounds so strange translated into English but which is the proper way to address an older person or a stranger in Polish: the Mr or Mrs honorific (Pan, Pani) plus the person's first name. "Mrs. Krysia! <i>Pani Krysiu!</i> Shall we get the workshop out of the shed first, or shall we warp the thread?"<br />
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As it turned out, neither. Pani Krysia gave us tea, grumbled and mumbled, and said the workshop was all gnawed on by mice, and she had no room to set it up, and her hands were old and too gnarled to go back to the craft, and it looks like rain, and you can't warp in the rain.<br />
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Slightly disillusioned but accepting that things just work differently in the countryside, we packed up the 30 km of thread Mariza had bought and went to her own cottage, a place she had inherited from her father.<br />
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"Luckily I've already been here this spring and evicted the bats from under the shutters," she said, and I disagreed, as I did not find it lucky at all that I had missed seeing bats fly out into the forest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariza's loom</td></tr>
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And I discovered exactly why we could not warp in the rain. You see, Mariza's warping mill was set up in the doorway of her barn- half exposed to the elements, and humidity would ruin the thread. The obvious solution was to move it into the house- but the central pole was too short.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/14313741255/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/14313741255_d522b20f84_z_d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The warping mill. It was raining already.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Advanced engineering and a clever pair of hands were necessary here. For lack of such, I stepped up. After some hemming and hawing, we decided to hop across the road to see Pani Tosia, who had an impressive stockpile of timber in her back yard, guarded by a ferocious dog.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CcpKguihOYI/U4ouU4VpJ7I/AAAAAAAAC38/eA0GdlXeAwc/s1600/panitosia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CcpKguihOYI/U4ouU4VpJ7I/AAAAAAAAC38/eA0GdlXeAwc/s1600/panitosia.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pani Tosia and her friend</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Old as the world, but she picked the straightest little pine and chopped off most of the branches before we could protest. The rest was up to us. She lent us her axe.
We measured, and began to chop, scrape, and carve.<br />
<br />
Two hours and two inches of progress later...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/14333950543/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14333950543_5eab8dab71_z_d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I got pretty far considering the circumstances!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
... we decided to call for help.
Luckily, Pan Janek who lives just down the road was a carpenter. A few runs through a circular saw and then a few slices with the drawknife, and our pole was ready.
Although I maintain that if I'd had eight hours to spend on it, I could have managed with just the axe.<br />
<br />
All I needed now was to spend another hour hammering a support into the ceiling, and by late afternoon, the warping machine was set up in Mariza's cottage.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fFr4MYsd_ec/U4osir7Ve9I/AAAAAAAAC3w/OudSmGEGlIs/s1600/warping_mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fFr4MYsd_ec/U4osir7Ve9I/AAAAAAAAC3w/OudSmGEGlIs/s1600/warping_mill.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harder than it looks- the pole has to spin smoothly and stay upright, and it also needs to be removable. <br />
In other words, AM OUTRAGEOUSLY PROUD OF MY HANDIWORK.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We called up pani Krysia, proud of ourselves, ready to spin, only to hear these harsh, rhyming words:<br />
<br />
<b> "Piątek zły pracy początek."</b><br />
<br />
Which means "Friday is a bad day to begin work", or more accurately translated, go away you silly city girls I've got no time for you.<br />
<br />
That was that, the adventure was over. Friday is a bad day to begin work, and you can't work on that particular Saturday, because it just so happens to be May 3rd, a very holy day dedicated to Mary Mother of God, Queen of Poland, and of course Sunday is right out.<br />
<br />
There was nothing for it. We heated up some pierogi on the old oven than sits in the heart of the house and heats every room, and we sighed and complained a little bit, and then I went home.
I didn't see warping, and I didn't see weaving, and I didn't get to put together a weaving workshop.<br />
<br />
Still…somehow I don't consider the day wasted.<br />
<br />
I'll be sure to take another trip down there, maybe in the summer- and there will be a perfect warping mill with the date and my initials carved into it waiting for me. :)<br />
<br />
(and just wait 'til I tell you about what we saw in Pan Janek's mother's house... but that's for another time.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/14333931763/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/14333931763_84c9d5737e_z_d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consolation prize.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-28756215714145186982012-08-01T08:11:00.000+02:002012-08-01T12:01:43.538+02:00Five p.m. on August 1st, 1944Today is the 68th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. At five p.m. sirens will sound and modern Warsaw will stand still.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ejd2rsXoQSI" width="853"></iframe>
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<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MrlE99I_Q9A" width="853"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I can't be in Warsaw today, unfortunately. I will write more about the Uprising next week. In the meantime, find out more at <a href="http://1944.pl/">1944.pl</a> and <a href="http://www.warsawuprising.com/faq.htm%C2%A0" target="_blank">warsawuprising.com</a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-8520837031251246032012-07-12T13:27:00.002+02:002012-07-23T18:28:59.046+02:00The legend of king Krak and the Dragon of Wawel Hill<br />
Why is Cracow called Cracow?<br />
<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.madziabryll.pl/plawesome/images/800px-Nuremberg_chronicles_-_CRACOVIA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.madziabryll.pl/plawesome/images/800px-Nuremberg_chronicles_-_CRACOVIA.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of Cracow from the Nuremberg Chronicles (1493)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The latin name is <b>Cracovia</b>, but in Polish, we call it<b> Kraków</b>, which means '<b>City of Krak</b>'. I pause here to let you have a giggle at how that sounds… now here's the story.<br />
<br />
<b>Krak</b>, or Krakus (Grakhus in the earliest chronicles), was a prince from the 7th century, a tribal leader whose people settled in the area some six thousand years ago. Late 13th century accounts speak of a terrible dragon living in a cavern under <b>Wawel hill</b>. (the word 'wawel' is said to derive from 'wąwel', meaning 'a rise in the marshes') As is in a dragon's habit, the beast demanded to be fed cattle every week, and would devour people if he was unsatisfied.<br />
<br />
In the 13th century work <i>Chronica Polonorum</i>, historian Wincenty Kadłubek wrote that was Krak himself who slew the dragon and built his castle on top of the rock. The 15th century chronicler Jan Długosz attributed the deed to Krak's sons. In the 16th century, poet Marcin Bielski introduced a young tailor called <b>Skuba</b> or <b>Dratewka</b> into the legend.<br />
<br />
That is the story I was told as a young child, and it goes something like this:<br />
<br />
In the royal city of Kraków, King Krak lived in a castle on top of Wawel Hill. His city was built by the river, on fertile lands, and would have been rich and prosperous if not for the fierce dragon which lived in a cavern below the castle. The dragon would roam the countryside, stealing sheep, cattle, and people, and he delighted in the taste of virgin flesh.<br />
<br />
The beast devoured virgin after virgin, until only the king's own daughter, Wanda, was left. It was then that King Krak declared that the brave hero who would slay the dragon would receive half the kingdom and his daughter's hand in marriage.<br />
<br />
Knight after knight tried to kill the dragon; all were devoured. One day, a poor young cobbler's apprentice by the name of Dratewka announced that he would try his luck. The boy was no warrior; he had no armour, no sword. What he did have, however, was his wits.<br />
<br />
Dratewka knew he could not destroy the dragon by force, so he tried cunning instead. He took a sheepskin and stuffed it with sulfur, then sewed it back together and left it at the mouth of the cave. As expected, the dragon swallowed the stuffed animal whole. Soon, a dreadful ache started up in its belly. The suffering dragon crept down to the river, and began to drink...and drink...and drink...<br />
<br />
...until it had drunk half the river, and burst into a million pieces.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8PUwWUyeV1w/T_4B7qBshOI/AAAAAAAAAdg/3bloUdBR91s/s1600/cosmographia_universalis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8PUwWUyeV1w/T_4B7qBshOI/AAAAAAAAAdg/3bloUdBR91s/s1600/cosmographia_universalis.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An illustration of the legend from German cartographer Sebastian Munster's<br />
1544 Cosmographia Universalis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It is sometimes said that the name 'Kraków' was derived from the cawing of ravens (in Polish: <i>krakanie kruków</i>) which flocked to eat the remains of the dragons.<br />
<br />
<br />
So, did the dragon really exist? Well…<br />
<br />
The cave under the castle hill is quite real. You can visit it in the warmer months, climbing down a long spiral staircase in a narrow turret. The turret was once a well, drawing water from the flooded caverns.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235927668/" title="Dragon's Cave by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Dragon's Cave" height="534" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5458/7235927668_dd75e99029_c.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
<br />
In the 16th and 17th century, part of the cave was used as a storage room and banquet hall for a tavern and public house built by the river. In 1843, the space was opened up for sightseeing.<br />
<br />
Though the cave is no longer home to a dragon, another rare species can be found in its depths: a troglobitic crustacean called<i> Niphargus tatrensis</i>, seen only in underground karst reservoirs. It was discovered in 1887 by Polish biologist August Wrześniowski, and named after the Tatra mountains in which it was found.<br />
<br />
After you have passed through all three limestone chambers, you will emerge at the foot of the hill, by the river, where, since 1972 a large statue of the dragon stands guard. Every five minutes or so, the dragon spits fire!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235935992/" title="Wawel by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wawel" height="534" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7235935992_974e7a4bc0_c.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Nearby, the outer walls of the castle bear a plaque which states:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Krakus, Prince of Poland</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Ruled between the years 730-750</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(Peters, Royal Registers 2nd fascicle page 40)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>This is the site of the cavern </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>in which having slewn a wild dragon</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>then settling on the Wawel he founded the city of</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Kraków</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235939992/" title="Wawel by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wawel" height="800" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5034/7235939992_54cb32fd56_c.jpg" width="534" /></a></div>
<br />
When you enter the Cathedral on Wawel Hill, you should look up at the arch. Three large bones hang over the doorway, suspended on chains. For centuries, these were believed to be the remains of the dragon.<br />
<br />
In reality, they belong to a mammoth, a rhinoceros, and a whale.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7552035900/" title="Dragon bones by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Dragon bones" height="534" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7552035900_fc39fb428a_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><br />
<br />
That should put the silly legend to rest, shouldn't it?<br />
<br />
Not quite. In 2007, the jawbone of an unspecified dinosaur was discovered near the village of Lisowice in the South-West of Poland. Dating back to the late Triassic, it was classified as a rather large, predatory <b>Archosaur</b>, and given the species name of <b>wawelski </b>in the genus <b>Smok. </b>A.k.a: the Dragon of Wawel!<br />
<br />
And in 1965, author Stanisław Pagaczewski wrote a hilarious series of books for children called <i>"The abduction of Balthasar Sponge"</i> , depicting an alternative reality in which medieval Cracow blends seamlessly with then modern-day Poland. King Krak is now friends with the sophisticated Dragon, and regularly goes down to visit the cave and play chess or discuss the most recent football match between the two local teams- Wisła and Cracovia. When famous professor Balthasar Sponge is kidnapped, the Dragon and his friends set out to retrieve him... The books featured dramatic adventures, international spies, mythical creatures, and ingenious inventions.<br />
<br />
The work was later turned into a very popular and equally amusing animated series:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dGc5HYKlTcA" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So...is the dragon real?<br />
<br />
You'll have to go to Cracow and find out for yourself.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta information:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Location of the Wawel Castle on google maps:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Zamek+++Wawel,+Krak%C3%B3w,+Polska&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=50.053949,19.935438&spn=0.002807,0.008256&sll=50.053956,19.935985&sspn=0.002807,0.008256&oq=zamek+&hnear=Zamek+Wawel,+Krak%C3%B3w,+ma%C5%82opolskie,+Poland&t=m&z=18"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Zamek+++Wawel,+Krak%C3%B3w,+Polska&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=50.053949,19.935438&spn=0.002807,0.008256&sll=50.053956,19.935985&sspn=0.002807,0.008256&oq=zamek+&hnear=Zamek+Wawel,+Krak%C3%B3w,+ma%C5%82opolskie,+Poland&t=m&z=18</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Official Website for Wawel Castle:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.wawel.krakow.pl/en/"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://www.wawel.krakow.pl/en/</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Article on the discovery of the Smok Wawelski fossils:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.academia.pan.pl/pdfen/system_en_34-35_sulej.pdf"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://www.academia.pan.pl/pdfen/system_en_34-35_sulej.pdf</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Cosmographia Universalis print on Wikipedia:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M%C3%BCnster_wawelski.jpg"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M%C3%BCnster_wawelski.jpg</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Nuremberg Chronicle print on Wikipedia:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_chronicles_-_CRACOVIA.png"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_chronicles_-_CRACOVIA.png</span></a></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Zamek Wawel, 30-001 Kraków, Poland50.054414 19.93484150.051865 19.9299055 50.056963 19.939776499999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-35079049203574760142012-05-24T22:57:00.004+02:002012-05-24T22:57:53.807+02:00Deep Underground: The Wieliczka Salt MineWhere does salt come from?<br />
<br />
Legend says that when the Hungarian princess <b>Kinga</b>, daughter of Bela the IVth, was married to <b>Bolesław the Chaste</b>, Duke of Polish towns Cracow and Sandomierz, instead of gold or silver, she brought <b>salt</b> as her dowry.<br />
<br />
She did not have it brought in barrels or ox-drawn carts, however. In her homeland, she threw her engagement ring down one of the shafts of a salt mine. As she rode back to Poland to meet her new husband, she ordered the party to stop near Cracow.<br />
<br />
"Dig here," she commanded. Can you guess what was found in the excavation?<br />
<br />
Salt rock, and Kinga's engagement ring, glittering within the savoury crystal.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7236155184/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka 2006 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka 2006" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7236155184_281fa77fbe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A salt carving depicting the legendary finding of the ring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This is the legend of the great <b>Wieliczka Salt Mine</b>, which, indeed, dates back to the the 13th century, and the reign of Bolesław the Chaste and princess Kinga. To fully appreciate the significance of the story, one has to understand that in the middle ages, salt was an incredibly valuable mineral. We think nothing of it today, but it used to be the privilege of kings. You could buy whole townships with the proper amount of the stuff! By the 14th century, the gains from the salt sources around Cracow formed one third of the whole country's income.<br />
<br />
Excavation of rock salt may have begun in the 13th century, but the site of Wieliczka had been giving up salt since the Middle Neolithic period (3500- 2500 B.C.) And the source itself is fifteen million years old! Water sources in the area were not potable, flowing with a salty brine, but when evaporated, they left behind the tasty mineral. This was known to the local peoples well over five thousand years ago.<br />
<br />
The briny springs were a good enough source until the middle of the 13th century, when men had to delve deeper, and began to build the first shafts. When you visit the town of Wieliczka, you will see many signposts marking the sites of historical shafts, long ago exhausted and filled up.<br />
<br />
But the larger part of the mine remains active and open to the public. And it is a stunning place to visit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7263226778/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="W2012_IMG_3024 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="W2012_IMG_3024" height="426" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7263226778_f081b214ec_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Daniłowicz Shaft, one of many in Wieliczka. This is how you enter and exit the museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7236142738/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka 2006 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka 2006" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7236142738_7fa44eb0d1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tour begins with a walk down exactly 380 wooden steps. This is what you see if you look over the railing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
First, it's huge. At present, the combined length of the underground corridors is over 300 km. There are almost two and a half thousand excavated chambers (!!), spread out on three levels, the deepest lying 327 metres below the surface of the earth.<br />
<br />
Second, it's the only mine in the entire world which has been continuously active since the Middle Ages.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>All right, you might say. It's still just a mine. A dark hole in the ground. What's there to see?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Oh, I don't know...how about the huge chapel of St. Kinga, at 101 metres below the surface, carved entirely out of salt?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235760904/" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7235760904_20c3183a63_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235769980/" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/7235769980_a952a58e47_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
You see, once a large lode of salt is found underground, it can only be mined to a point before becoming unsafe. The miners would scrape out the centre of the salt block, leaving a hollow cavern and then moving on down the next corridor. And because mining was hard and risky work, the presence of God was very much welcome down below.<br />
<br />
To this day, the customary greeting in the mine is <b>'Szczęść Boże'</b>: God bless. This is what you say when the lift starts going down. This is what you say whenever you meet someone on your way through the underground maze. It's a ritual, a sacred and unbroken custom, dating back to a time when the mine was a much darker and dangerous place.<br />
<br />
Chamber after chamber was created by excavation, and over the years, miners would carve out sacred figures, crosses, and chapels in the salt rock, hoping for celestial protection.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235687328/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7235687328_22e9301dbf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chapel of St. John, built in 1859. In 2009 it was moved from the first level to the third,<br />
and is now a part of the tourist route.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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St. Kinga's chapel is one such work of piety, the deed of miners and self-taught sculptors from the late 19th and early 20th century. They were the brothers Józef and Tomasz Markowski, and Antoni Wyrodek. Today, Mass is still celebrated in the chapel on special occasions.<br />
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You can even rent it out for a magical underground wedding, and have the reception catered in one of the salt ballrooms.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235683720/" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7235683720_34c86d0ec7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235766738/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7235766738_6ba3cdd1fe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, that chandelier is made of salt. All of them are. Every single little crystal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And those are only some of the stops on the three hour tour. Other chambers hold exhibits showing how men worked to extract salt over the years of the mine's existence. You will see an authentic horse-powered mill from the 18th century, a chamber burned out by an explosion, and amazing feats of underground architecture.<br />
<br />
For instance, the Michałowice Chamber:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235731644/" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7235731644_2b3913445f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This huge, 35-metre-deep cavern is filled with a complex wooden scaffolding, erected in the 19th century with no help from any machinery, piece by piece as the vertical lode was excavated. This deposit was so huge, it was exploited for almost a hundred years!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235734738/" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/7235734738_4aa791fffe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235746222/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7099/7235746222_408eb7b861_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt covers the walls of the mine corridors. The floor tiles are also carved out of salt, by the way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>What other mysteries does Wieliczka hold?</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
If you're very lucky, you might meet <b>Skarbnik</b>, the legendary spirit of the mine. 'Skarbnik' means 'Treasure Keeper', and salt, of course, is the treasure in question. Skarbnik is a good spirit, but he always comes bearing a warning. If he should appear, that means there is dangerous gas, or a cave-in up ahead. Turn back!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235723382/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7235723382_b82397f542_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Weimar chamber, named after the prince of Weimar who visited it in 1790 in the company of Goethe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Besides legends, there are many, many true stories that Wieliczka keeps in her memory. An often overlooked, yet important symbol is a Star of David carved deep into the face of the Staszic Chamber. Why is it there?<br />
<br />
In 1944, the Nazis decided to use the chambers of Wieliczka as a war factory. In the <b>Staszic Chamber</b>, they set up an assembly line for aircraft machinery. The forced labourers, as you can probably guess, were Polish Jews.<br />
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In secret, they carved out the Star of David, a symbol of their people and religion, not only as a spiritual mark, but as a proof of their imprisonment and slavery. They wanted to make certain that whatever happened, in the future people would know they had been held there.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7263207698/" title="Visit to Wieliczka by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Visit to Wieliczka" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/7263207698_6f9ddd44e6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Another interesting tale will lead you to the <b>Piłsudski Chamber</b>, where a 19th century statue of St. John of Nepomuk stands guard by a disused ferry. This was once part of the Austrian tourist route, until 1915 when it was witness to a rather gruesome accident. Several Prussian soldiers tipped over the ferry, and fell into the brine.<br />
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Now, as you probably know, bodies of water with a high density of salt are practically impossible to drown in. The salt keeps you afloat, pushing you up and out of the water.<br />
<br />
And yet, the soldiers died. They could not drown, but the raft tipped over and trapped them underneath it. They could neither lift it, nor dive into the salty water to swim out. They suffocated under the overturned ferry.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235714534/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5345/7235714534_f4fd44a46f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Hmm, all that salt in the air...is that healthy?</b><br />
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Yes, yes it is!<br />
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The mine actually has an underground spa, where people come to cure respiratory ailments and allergies. They have been doing so since the 19th century. The microclimate in the mine is very special- bacteriologically pure, allergen-free, rich in microelements such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium.<br />
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Good breathing!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7263202268/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Visit to Wieliczka by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Visit to Wieliczka" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7263202268_7cac477d33_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wessel underground lake. Therapy sessions take place alongside it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7263200002/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Visit to Wieliczka by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Visit to Wieliczka" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/7263200002_c025d1d6b9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These stables, built in 1913, have been converted to a dormitory for the spa patients.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
Patients ride down to the third level of the mine, 135 metres underground, and spend the day beside a brine lake. There is a library, a gym, a brine fountain; patients participate in breathing exercises, musical therapy (underground sing-alongs!) and other activities, all under medical supervision.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7235656190/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka town and salt mine by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka town and salt mine" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7235656190_6dd34928cb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light physical exercise at 135 metres under the surface of the Earth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Wow! But that's got to be all, right? That's all we can see?</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Nope. </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
If you book a couple weeks in advance, you can also take a special tour which will take you off the regular tourist path, and deep into the abandoned parts of the mine.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7236191708/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka 2006 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka 2006" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7236191708_82ac744385_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You get to wear a stylish hat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You will ride down with the miners, in a hard hat and with a flashlight as your only source of light. The corridors are much grungier here than on the tourist route, with beautiful salt crystals forming everywhere. There are lost chambers, forgotten monuments, deep, salt-covered mineshafts that seem to have no bottom. Geology enthusiasts will be delighted as the structure of the mineral deposit is revealed to them. History buffs will find traces of Austrian and German invasions where corridors were named and renamed again according to whichever force held the mine.<br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7236230548/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wieliczka 2006 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka 2006" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7236230548_3989a6f9c3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On this Austrian sign, you can see ink graffiti from 1898(sic!), disputing the renaming of the corridor <br />
after a foreign nobleman, when it was originally named after general Tadeusz Kościuszko.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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And those among you who simply want to feel the thrill of adventure will love the mysterious corridors, the narrow spaces, the sudden drops, the old wooden ladders and unbelievable darkness of the mine.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7236201534/" title="Wieliczka 2006 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wieliczka 2006" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/7236201534_5518c5cebc_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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<br />
A few extra facts about the mine:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3s4P175i4kc/T76WY1bp9wI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/4DGH-ioBIFc/s1600/znakfirmowy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3s4P175i4kc/T76WY1bp9wI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/4DGH-ioBIFc/s1600/znakfirmowy.png" /></a></div>
-The Wieliczka trademark is the first in Poland, and one of the oldest in the world. Very early on in the mine's history, special white, so-called 'royal' salt transports meant only for royal consumption were stamped with the mark.<br />
<br />
-The mining of salt in Wieliczka ended in 1996, but conservation works yield rock salt that is used to manufacture memorabilia, and the mineral is still drawn from the brine water. You can buy Wieliczka salt for your table in any Polish supermarket. :) Just look for the trademark!<br />
<br />
-There are no bugs or vermin in the mines- they couldn't survive! Any insects which get carried in on people's clothing quickly dry up in the salt-rich atmosphere. However, rats and mice did once live in the mines, back when its permanent residents were...<br />
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-Horses. Horses were kept in the underground stables and used to pull large loads and set heavy machinery in motion. The last horse, a mare called Basia (short for Barbara- st. Barbara being the patron saint of all miners) was removed from the mine in 2002, at sixteen, in good health. She is living out her retirement in a quiet pasture.<br />
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-Tourism is not a modern attraction in the mine. In the years 1772- 1918, when this part of Poland was under Austrian rule, visitors were first admitted underground.<br />
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-A new form of the behind the scenes tour called The Miner's Route will be opening this July. It involves lots of activities which will teach visitors about the realities of working in a salt mine. Personally, I can't wait!<br />
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-All tours are available in English and many other languages. You won't miss a thing.<br />
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-You'll have to find out the rest for yourself. Come visit! And if you do, let me know. I might just come with you. :)<br />
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<br />
<i>I would like to thank the staff of Wieliczka, from the offices dealing with my requests to the miners, tour guides, geologists, therapists, cooks, everyone who was so kind and helpful during my visits. The Salt Mine is one of my favourite places in Poland, not just because it's a spectacular sight, but because of how unwaveringly friendly its people are.</i><br />
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<i>Dziękuję!</i><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta info:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wieliczka official website: </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kopalnia.pl/">http://www.kopalnia.pl/</a></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Jana Mikołaja Daniłowicza , 32-020 Gmina Wieliczka, Poland49.983240836509985 20.05614280700683649.981964336509982 20.053675307006834 49.984517336509988 20.058610307006838tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-57485937699911006032012-05-02T14:14:00.001+02:002012-05-02T14:18:59.218+02:00May Days and the famous Constitution of 1791<i>"Welcome, May, beautiful May,</i><br />
<i>Poland is paradise today..."</i><br />
<br />
So say the words of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqirek3ppQo&feature=related" target="_blank">May 3rd Mazurka</a>. The lyrics do not refer to the chance of a nine-day weekend (see footnotes), but to the introduction of our first Constitution.<br />
<br />
In Poland, May begins with a series of important holidays. May 1st is International Worker's Day, obviously very popular in our socialist years, and still an official day off. On May 2nd, we have Flag Day, when all flags should be up, if they weren't for May 1st already. And on May 3rd, Constitution day. Displays of patriotism which are practically obligatory today were forbidden under socialist rule. Your flag had to be out on May 1st, or you would suffer repercussions, but if you dared to leave it up until May 3rd, you'd find yourself in much bigger trouble…<br />
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So, what was this Constitution, why did it bother Russia so much, and why is it still so important?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yyn07s6qXaY/T6EclxJs2zI/AAAAAAAAAcw/QyjJMltg4Rw/s1600/394px-Manuscript_of_the_Constitution_of_the_3rd_May_1791.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yyn07s6qXaY/T6EclxJs2zI/AAAAAAAAAcw/QyjJMltg4Rw/s320/394px-Manuscript_of_the_Constitution_of_the_3rd_May_1791.PNG" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manuscript of the Constitution</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let's go back a few centuries. Since 1385, Poland had been a sprawling empire often referred to as the <b>Republic of Two Nations</b>: The Crown and Lithuania. As the name itself suggests, it was a federal union between the two countries, precipitated among other things by a desire to strengthen the nations against the usual suspect: Russia.<br />
<br />
The idea wasn't bad, but almost four hundred years later, the union was not faring so well. In 1772, the edges of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were sliced away and divided between Russia, Prussia, and Austria. <b>That was the first partition.</b><br />
<br />
Partitions were a direct result of the country being weak and unable to perform the reforms necessary to strengthen its military position. Why was this so? Well, the Polish nobility have a history of being a stubborn band of anarchists, and the great number of privileges they enjoyed under the Commonwealth made ruling the country in a unified manner troublesome. Nobles had immunity. Nobles could not be taxed. Nobles could not be controlled. Nobles came and went as they pleased, attending meetings of the Sejm (the Polish version of Parliament) with the pleasant certainty that they had more executive power than the monarchy. The law even allowed them the right to rebel against the king if he should violate any of their privileges!<br />
<br />
<br />
But worst of all was the deputy right of <i>liberum veto</i>, which allowed any noble in the Sejm to end the current session and nullify all legislations passed. All he had to do was shout out: <b>"Nie pozwalam!"</b> (I do not allow this!)<br />
<br />
The veto was not entirely a bad thing; in fact, in origin, it had served to curb the powers of the (elective!) monarch and keep noble landowners in control of the country. It was also a crucial tool in the upholding of religious tolerance, a weighty matter in a place as diverse as the Commonwealth, and especially important in contrast with the rest of Europe, where the faith of each country depended on the faith of its monarch. But the Republic could not function properly with every decision at the mercy of whim and veto. With the magnates enjoying their so-called <b>Golden Age of Privileges,</b> reform was all but impossible.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3497916768/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Piknik z Ułanami by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Piknik z Ułanami" height="427" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3406/3497916768_589ea57ea7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Szlachta- Polish nobility in the 2009 Constitution Day Parade in Warsaw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So, imagine you are radical political thinkers nobleman Ignacy Potocki and priest Hugo Kołłątaj, and you are sick of seeing your country fall prey to its neighbours while the magnates bicker among themselves. Imagine you have sat down and prepared a lovely new Constitution which decreases the privileges of the nobility and abolishes the <i>liberum veto</i>. How do you possibly get it legislated?<br />
<br />
You get crafty and call a Confederate Sejm- a special kind of parliament meeting during which the liberum veto is prohibited and majority vote rules. And you call this meeting in secret, right after Easter, knowing a great number of the deputees most likely to oppose you haven't returned to the capital from their holidays yet.<br />
<br />
Snap. <b>May 3rd, 1791</b>, the first codified Constitution in Europe (second in the world after the US) was declared in Poland.<br />
<br />
<br />
So, what did the Constitution change?<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>It reformed the government, dividing it into legislative, executive and judiciary branches (after Montesquieu's model). It also decreed that ministers could be tried and judged.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It improved the rights of the peasants and decreased the privileges of the nobility, doing away with the <i>liberum veto</i>. The Sejm and Senate would now pass legislations by simple majority vote. The voting rights of landless nobles were also taken away, thus making it impossible for wealthier magnates to purchase their votes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It made the peasants and townspeople political equals, and placed peasants who had previously been completely at the whim of their noble masters under the protection of the government. It also declared that refugees and new settlers would not be bound to any landlords.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It gave the citizens of royal cities the right to hold posts previously reserved for nobility, such as public offices and military commissions and even seats in the Sejm. It also guaranteed them the right not to be arrested without warrant. These rights could be extended to citizens of private towns.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It abolished free elections; the throne was now hereditary, with elections occurring only at the end of a dynasty. This was an attempt to decrease foreign influence on the choice of rulers (it was starting to get silly). The instution of <i>pacta conventa</i> - a document each monarch had to sign to pledge his respect for the laws of the Commonwealth- was also preserved. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It established Catholicism as the national faith, but preserved the earlier freedom of religion. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It transformed the union between Poland and Lithuania into a unitary state called the Republic of Poland, which meant the armies and treasuries would no longer refer to two separate authorities. The Lithuanian deputies were concerned for their rights, many protesting the decision. To appease them, it was decided that Lithuanian deputies would hold a guaranteed proportional number of seats in the new government.</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Faibl_ddvgc/T6EfNoETqBI/AAAAAAAAAc8/e7flexQ1sAw/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-02+at+1.47.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Faibl_ddvgc/T6EfNoETqBI/AAAAAAAAAc8/e7flexQ1sAw/s640/Screen+shot+2012-05-02+at+1.47.56+PM.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from Jan Matejko's 1891 painting depicting the Crown Marshall of the Sejm being <br />
carried out of the Royal Castle with the Constitution in his hand. At the left are Hugo Kołłątaj <br />
and Ignacy Potocki, who helped shape the document. On the ground, deputy Jan Suchorzewski,<br />
an opponent of the Constitution, threatens to <b>kill his own six-year-old son</b> if the document<br />
is ratified. The painting may be full of symbolism, but, yes, this actually happened.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unfortunately, the Constitution was short-lived. Fourteen months was all it took for the pot to boil over; not only was there a strong opposition within the country, but our neighbours did not take too kindly to our liberal reforms, either. Why would they? They liked Poland weak and chaotic, and thought of it as of a sort of land reserve with which to replenish their losses on other fronts. Catherine the Great found the idea of free peasants especially appalling- she feared a massive exodus from Russia.<br />
<br />
So, in 1792, Russia attacked. Unable to push back, King Stanisław Poniatowski thought to stop the conflict by surrendering and agreeing to hand the reform over to a conservative confederacy mounted under the protection of...none other than Catherine the Great. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(and just as a side note, the whole reason he was king in the first place was because Catherine, his former lover, supported his candidacy and staged a coup to get him the throne. The tsarina giveth, the tsarina taketh away...)</span><br />
<br />
The results were disastrous. The Constitution was torn apart, almost all of its reforms scrapped, and many supporters forced into exile. Worst of all, Poland was once again forced under foreign heel and <b>partitioned for a second time, </b>losing over 100,000 square miles of territory to Russia and Prussia.<b> </b>Even the conspiring confederates hadn't predicted this one! The additional documents the creators of the constitution were working on- namely, a 'moral and economical constitution' which was to address the civil rights of all citizens, including the most overlooked peasants and Jews, were never completed.<br />
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Though the original Constitution was not a success (even its co-authors ominously called it <i>"the last will and testament of the expiring Country"</i>), May 3rd is now an extremely important national holiday in Poland, celebrated <a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/11/111111-was-independence-day.html" target="_blank">since 1918.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3497152435/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Piknik z Ułanami by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Piknik z Ułanami" height="427" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3639/3497152435_da3bdd918b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riders in historical uhlan uniforms on parade for Constitution Day, 2009</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Not unusually, we applaud the Constitution for what it stands for rather than what it actually achieved. In most of its decrees it was a revolutionary and progressive attempt at reform and strengthening our position on the map, and the way it was subsequently taken away from us by foreign forces makes it into a powerful symbol of the fight for independence.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta information:</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on the Constitution of May 3rd:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_May_3,_1791">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_May_3,_1791</a></span><span id="goog_1426202479"></span><span id="goog_1426202480"></span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on the Second Partition of Poland:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Partition_of_Poland">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Partition_of_Poland</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Photo of the manuscript taken from Wikipedia:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manuscript_of_the_Constitution_of_the_3rd_May_1791.PNG">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manuscript_of_the_Constitution_of_the_3rd_May_1791.PNG</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">A detailed analysis of Matejko's painting:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_May_3,_1791_(painting)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_May_3,_1791_(painting)</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">About the nine day weekend:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Since May 1st and May 3rd are official national holidays, if May 1st falls on a Tuesday, all you need to do is convince your employer to give you Wednesday and Friday off in order to bag a nine day weekend. Yes, people do take advantage of this.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Castle Square, 01-001 Warsaw, Poland52.2483026 21.014184952.2458721 21.0092494 52.250733100000005 21.0191204tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-80109365914707372852012-04-24T15:13:00.001+02:002012-04-24T15:14:23.066+02:00The legend of Besiekiery Castle<br />
Castles. There are a lot of them in Poland, some ruined, some perfectly preserved, and all interesting. At times, we will travel the country and stop in a seemingly insignificant village- there to find ruins or foundations which reveal that the tiny settlement was once home to a great lord, or even a king.<br />
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I am rather fond of castles, so you will be hearing more about them soon. Today, I want to tell you about my favourite one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5783218429/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="151/365: The castle ruins in Besiekiery by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="151/365: The castle ruins in Besiekiery" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5068/5783218429_692e616506_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The castle ruins of Besiekiery</td></tr>
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The castle ruins in Besiekiery are not a very well known attraction, overshadowed by the nearby king's town and castle of Łęczyca. Their popularity is further diminished by their location in a very small village with no other tourist attractions. A few houses, a small school; Besiekiery is tiny, but it dates back to the 13th century.<br />
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Here's where it gets interesting. The name suggests that its original settlers were Scandinavian- viking mercenaries in the service of our first dynasty of kings, the Piasts. <b>'Besiekr'</b> is a nordic word meaning 'man wearing a bear skin', and king Mieszko I did indeed purchase the services of a number of Scandinavian mercenaries. Not unusual, considering the strong hypothesis that his daughter married Swedish King Eric the Victorious, and later Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard. The princess eventually ended up in Norse mythology as Sigrid Storrada.<br />
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Such is the most probable history of Besiekiery; archaelogical findings of scandinavian remains in Poland support the theory. But in Polish,<b> 'siekiera'</b> means<b> axe</b>, and so there is also a legend about the devil Boruta (who also dipped his claws in the history of the nearby Royal Castle in Łęczyca) striking a deal with a local noble. Diabolical tricks are a common theme in Polish folklore, and such stories usually feature one of the lesser minions of Hell being outwitted and humiliated by the clever landsmen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5783207955/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5783207955_c171b1116b_z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Look closely, at the top. That's a stork's nest.</span></td></tr>
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Not so in this case. Boruta is an eminent character in the region's legends, appearing way back in slavic paganism as a forest and swamp demon. His name is an old Polish term for 'pine tree'. He would not be so easy to outsmart!<br />
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In the Besiekiery legend, a noble knight made a bet with Boruta. Perhaps the devil had disguised himself, or perhaps the knight was just that foolish, but he bet the demon that he could build a whole castle without using a single axe. In polish: <b>'bez siekiery'</b>!<br />
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Presumably, the knight was promised riches and immortality if he won; upon losing, he would have to surrender his soul. And he would have won…except the poor man didn't know that one of the labourers working on the construction of his castle was named 'Siekierka'. The castle was built, but the bet and the soul was lost, and the Devil Boruta still haunts the area on his days off from guarding the castle in Łęczyca.<br />
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But that's only a legend. The castle is neither demonic nor Norse in origin, being somewhat younger than the settlement. It was built around the year 1500 by a court official named Sokołowski, and used to have a large tower which held the main gate and a chapel, an open courtyard and a three storey house in the back. It was modified several times over the years, but has been abandoned since the mid-19th century.<br />
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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/5783787260_11b94ce4c7_z.jpg" /></div>
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<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5783726094_ed925c2673_z.jpg" /></div>
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Currently, the municipality is gathering funds to revitalise the ruins and make them a safe and welcoming tourist attraction. So far they've strengthened the remainders of the main house and rebuilt the moat. There's a little beach, but swimming isn't a good idea as there is a lot of duckweed and leeches. Yuck!<br />
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Oh, another interesting thing about this castle is that it's home to a pair of storks. They come every year to build their nests on top of the ruins. Storks are very popular in Poland, we consider them to be one of our national symbols.<br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3442/5783708448_53d611b5e9_z.jpg" /></div>
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The stork is a bird that brings luck, and it's very good to have one on your property- they say lightning will not strike where a stork has his nest. And because storks like high places, many landowners will set up a special post or build a platform on top of the barn roof, or in the branches of a dead tree, to encourage storks to make their nest there. No wonder they appreciate the ruins of Besiekiery!</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Location of Besiekiery on Google Maps:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=besiekiery,+poland&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=52.151239,18.973475&spn=0.042921,0.131836&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.981213,135&hnear=Besiekiery,+%C5%81%C4%99czyca+County,+%C5%81%C3%B3d%C5%BA+Voivodeship,+Poland&t=h&z=14">http://maps.google.com/maps?q=besiekiery,+poland&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=52.151239,18.973475&spn=0.042921,0.131836&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.981213,135&hnear=Besiekiery,+%C5%81%C4%99czyca+County,+%C5%81%C3%B3d%C5%BA+Voivodeship,+Poland&t=h&z=14</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">A page with drawings of the castle's original layout and shape:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.zamkipolskie.com/besiek/besiek.html">http://www.zamkipolskie.com/besiek/besiek.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Information about scandinavian presence in Poland (in Polish):</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.norwegofil.pl/norwegia/historia/slowianscy-wikingowie-o-wiezach-slowiansko-nordyckich.html">http://www.norwegofil.pl/norwegia/historia/slowianscy-wikingowie-o-wiezach-slowiansko-nordyckich.html</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com099-150 Besiekiery, Poland52.1519379 18.970859152.1324524 18.9313771 52.1714234 19.010341099999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-29229663762462908732012-04-07T19:18:00.001+02:002012-04-07T19:18:27.608+02:00Święconka, or the blessing of the food<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7054086469/" title="Easter 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Easter 2012" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7054086469_fe9a9523e7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Święconka (rough pronounciation: shi'ven-tson-kah) is a Polish Easter tradition first recorded in writing in the 13th century, but which is definitely several hundred years older.<br />
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On Good Saturday, Catholic Poles will take a basket of food to church for a blessing. The most common traditional basket contains eggs, meat, cake, bread, salt and pepper, horseradish and beetrot sauce, and a small lamb, made of cake, bread, butter, or sugar.<br />
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They represent all the food which will be eaten on Easter Morning, after the Resurrection, as well as all the food that will be put on the table that year. It's like saying grace before a meal, but with a long-term warranty. <br />
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The foodstuffs have their own particular symbolism. The eggs represent new life (adopted as <a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-make-pisanki.html" target="_blank">they were from Slavic Pagan rituals</a>). The bread, strongly symbolic in the Christian faith, stands for the body of Christ and the community which comes together like so many grains of wheat.<br />
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Children in particular like Święconka as they are usually the ones to carry a little basket. :) It's also a lot of fun to decorate- with boxwood leaves, lace, ribbons, little toy chicks...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4486981474/" title="93/365: Blessing the food by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="93/365: Blessing the food" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2795/4486981474_8bdf96b014_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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After the short blessing, families will go pray at the grave in the church. Easter is also the usual time to refill the household holy water supply; churches sell bottles of it, or allow you to fill your own from a special vessel.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5650290418/" title="Holy water by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Holy water" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5188/5650290418_6e612e14cc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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With this, I wish a peaceful and meaningful Easter to my Christian friends, a lovely Passover to my Jewish friends (the dates coincide this year!) and to everyone else, a sunny spring weekend :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-61557497339737560812012-04-07T14:25:00.000+02:002012-04-07T19:23:17.747+02:00How to make a Mazurek Easter Pie<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4481005913/" title="91/365: Mazurek by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="91/365: Mazurek" height="427" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2748/4481005913_9d673d49b1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Mazurek- a traditional Polish Easter pie</b><br />
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The mazurek cake is said to be a variation on a Turkish recipe, and has been a firm element of Polish Easter tradition since the 17th century. 'Mazurek' is also the name of a traditional dance, and Mazury (Mazuria in English) is a region in the North-East of Poland, green with forests and blue with lakes.<br />
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As usual, the pluralisation gets tricky when translated. <b>Mazurek</b> is one cake, <b>mazurki</b> are many.<br />
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Here is how to make some mazurki:<br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">500 grams of flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">250 grams of butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">150 grams of powder sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">3 egg yolks</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Mix the flour and butter until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Mix in the sugar and egg yolks until you have a dough. If it is too dry, add a little cream.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">You can use an electric blender.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Wrap up in cellophane, refrigerate for about an hour.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">This is your pie and cookie dough. Roll it out thin, tuck it into a pie pan, and be careful that it doesn't burn in the oven. And let the crusts cool before you take them out of the pans and pour in the filling.</span><br />
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The filling can be jam, caramel, kaymak... our family standard is chocolate, and you're on your own there- it's a matter of preference. The general rule is to sit a pot inside a saucepan of simmering water, and melt down a combination of dark and milk chocolate. You can add nutella, you can add fudge spread- just be careful that it doesn't get too hot and start clumping.<br />
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Pour it into the pie crusts, shake them gently to spread it evenly. And then start decorating.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/39870349?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
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Done? Congratulations! But you can't eat any of it until after the Resurrection!<br />
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Since the mazurek was supposed to be the crown of the feast which the family would wait for all through Lent, the idea is to make it as pretty as possible. As a child I used to play with cookies and that horrific coloured icing which comes in little tubes and requires samsonic force to be squeezed out...until somewhere around 2007 I discovered seeds.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4481002187/" title="Mazurek by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Mazurek" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4481002187_8581e1abd1_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/2349093677/" title="81/366: Mazurek by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="81/366: Mazurek" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2349093677_0e5e86eebb_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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Seeds look classy. They look sophisticated. They look rustic, quaint, traditional.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4481008955/" title="Mazurek by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Mazurek" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4481008955_f1b790ec81_z.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">They taste better than the icing...though they are a mite less colourful!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4480980037/" title="Mazurek by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Mazurek" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/4480980037_28affdeaef_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">So, for your appreciation and inspiration, here are all the Easter treats baked at my house in the last few years:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/2349933042/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Mazurki by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Mazurki" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2349933042_8bf4394f16_z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3429273323/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="100/365: Ready for Easter by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="100/365: Ready for Easter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3429273323_b9fc183978_z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4483666509/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Mazurki 2010 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Mazurki 2010" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4483666509_0b58aa0a24_z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5649695997/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="112/365: Mazurki by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="112/365: Mazurki" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5023/5649695997_94fa589d9f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6908002886/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Easter 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Easter 2012" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6908002886_016d81a5db_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012</td></tr>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-36417617588489773922012-04-03T22:19:00.000+02:002012-04-03T22:19:48.966+02:00How to make pisanki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/7040126491/" title="Making Pisanki by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making Pisanki" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/7040126491_48ea4ce733_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Poles didn't invent the celebratory decoration of eggs, but there's a lot to be said for how the tradition developed on the Slavic territory. The oldest decorated egg specimens found around here come from the 10th century, and they were made by painting a pattern of wax on the shell, then dipping the egg in a dye.<br />
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At the end of the post there's a tutorial that shows you how to make Easter eggs using that very technique. But first, let's talk semantics.<br />
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There are several types of decorated eggs in our tradition, and they all have their particular names.<br />
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<b>Kraszanka</b> (crash-an-kah) is an egg which has simply been dipped in dye.<br />
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<b>Pisanka</b> (pee-san-kah) is an egg which has been painted on with wax, and THEN dipped in dye.<br />
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<b>Drapanka</b> (drah-pan-kah) is an egg which has been dipped in dye, and then had a pattern scratched out on it.<br />
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<b>Oklejanka</b> (oh-clay-an-kah) is an egg which has been covered in a pattern made from pieces of plants, fabric, and wool.<br />
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<b>Rysowanka</b> (ree-so-van-kah) is an egg which has been drawn on.<br />
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If this is too much to take in, don't worry. Nowadays, you can get away with calling all of these eggs '<b>pisanki</b>'. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why does it end with i? Because that's the plural of pisanka. Yes, Polish is hard.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6893942614/" title="Making Pisanki by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making Pisanki" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/6893942614_ed72501186_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></span></div>
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The symbolism of the egg varies from culture to culture, but it is always powerful. For Slavic Pagans, the egg was generally a portent of new life and good luck. It is said that a meal of eggs was shared as part of one spring ritual, and the crumbled shells were sprinkled on tilled ground to guarantee a good crop. (modern composters will know that this is actually a very good way to nourish the soil)<br />
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With the arrival of Christianity, attempts were made to eradicate belief in the egg's magical properties. Well, a two hundred year ban on eating eggs during Easter didn't help much- the Church had to give in and repurpose them as a symbol of the Resurrection.<br />
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In Poland, to this day, the custom of sharing eggs at Easter persists. On Easter Monday, before any other food is consumed, a plate of egg slices is passed around. As we eat the eggs, we also exchange kind words and well wishes- much like we do <a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/12/polish-christmas-necessities.html" target="_blank">at Christmas with blessed wafers.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5649744291/" title="114/365: Eggs for Easter by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="114/365: Eggs for Easter" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5267/5649744291_56d4bc14d4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I shot this tutorial with the help of my friendly neighbourhood folklorist Mariza Nawrocka-Teodorczyk (dziękuję!). Decorating eggs using wax and dye is actually quite easy! Have a look for yourselves:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/39646930?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-88547919935333882432012-03-26T21:38:00.000+02:002012-03-26T21:53:33.646+02:00Palm Sunday in a country with no palms<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4470934935/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="87/365: Palm Sunday by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="87/365: Palm Sunday" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2727/4470934935_c8e2e8558f_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought about posting a tutorial, but it would take all year.</td></tr>
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In the Christian tradition, Palm Sunday is the last Sunday before Easter. It commemorates the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and people greeted him by waving palm fronds and crying out 'Hosanna!'. A remembrance of that day is still practiced in most Christian faiths by bringing palm fronds to houses of worship.<br />
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But there is a slight problem. We do not have palm trees in Poland.<br />
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We do, however, have extremely rich folk traditions which date back to pre-Christian times, and which have largely survived in the Catholic custom. Such a tradition has evolved from the colourful Slavic decoration of twigs and branches in anticipation of Spring to the Christian weaving of palms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4471689648/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Traditional Kurpian Palms by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Traditional Kurpian Palms" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2725/4471689648_e621f29b4b_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Łyse, in the Kurpie region.</td></tr>
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Two places are particularly well worth visiting in Poland for Palm Sunday: the village of Łyse in the Northeastern region of Kurpie, and the village of Lipnica Murowana, just Southwest of Cracow.<br />
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Only there will you find such elaborate palms made out of crepe paper and dried flowers, so tall that they cannot be carried upright.<br />
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<b><u>Łyse, in the Green Kurpie</u></b><br />
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The village of Łyse holds a contest for the tallest and most beautiful palm. People from all over the region work hard for the fourty days of Lent to make their entries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4472839762/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Palm Sunday by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Palm Sunday" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2791/4472839762_4fc7c90789_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contest-winning palms set up around the old church in Łyse.</td></tr>
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The day begins with a mass and a procession and is then occasion for a market where the locals sell their handmade wares- palms, painted eggs, lacework, pottery, carvings, as well as regional food such as honey, bread, meats and beer. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4472794862/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Kurpian woman by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Kurpian woman" height="640" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4004/4472794862_b6baa375a4_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can buy handmade palms and little dough goats and deer. For luck.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4471749834/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Palms and forest by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Palms and forest" height="427" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4067/4471749834_1a1ba85a7d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Łyse is in the Green Kurpie Forest, a lovely area.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4470965801/" title="Selling palms by the road by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Selling palms by the road" height="427" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4070/4470965801_125a97c48a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But be not mistaken. These palms are not only a testament to the rich folklore of Kurpie, but also a sign of religious devotion. Palm Sunday does not mark the beginning of a feast, nor is it a festival, but is the first day of the week in which the Christian God was killed by the very people who first greeted him with such joy. These amazing palms are first and foremost an offering to Jesus and a hope that believers may be strong enough not to betray him again and again as his first followers did, and modern Christians have no doubt done many times in their lives.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4471977087/" title="Biking to church by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Biking to church" height="427" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4008/4471977087_a8c0bd1105_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b><u>Lipnica Murowana, Lesser Poland</u></b></div>
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A slightly different type of palm can be found in Lipnica Murowana, a small village in the southern mountains. They are less stocky than Kurpian palms, with different patterns, and show more green twigs, boxwood and dried flowers than their northern counterparts. And most of all, they are much, much taller.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635455718/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="107/365: Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana"><img alt="107/365: Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5635455718_19499a0458_z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the short ones.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5634650953/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Here comes the Palm by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Here comes the Palm" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5634650953_70af053f14_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the tall one.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5634834349/" title="Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5634834349_f0b3172e3e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635255398/" title="Firemen and Palms by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Firemen and Palms" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5635255398_c8752ff5ee_z.jpg" width="427" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635350728/" title="Everyone wants to see by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Everyone wants to see" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5021/5635350728_fd6b2ff30e_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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Like Łyse, Lipnica Murowana has its procession, market, and festivities. And like Łyse, it holds its own contest for the best Palm Sunday palm.<br />
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There are several categories, but the one that has everyone biting their nails is the Contest for the Tallest Palm.<br />
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This gets VERY competitive. And there are rules that make it all extremely exciting. For starters, no nails or other metal elements can be used in making the palms- only wood, willow, reeds, green branches and paper flowers are allowed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5634692431/" title="Raising the Palm by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Raising the Palm" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5634692431_5a3066329a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the photo above, the second-tallest palm of 2011 is raised, with great care and caution.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5634641575/" title="Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5634641575_ec14ecc0b3_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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Wires, ropes and lines from synthetic materials are also forbidden. In order to qualify in the contest, the palm has to stand upright without breaking, it has to be raised with no help from machines (hence the men in the trees guiding the lines, and those on the ground, pushing with special long forks), and the author must be able to wrap his hands around the trunk.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635364870/" title="Raising the Palm in Lipnica Murowana by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Raising the Palm in Lipnica Murowana" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/5635364870_ec736a867b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The palm in the photo above is the first prize winner of 2011, at 36.4 metres- that's almost 120 feet! I heard someone say the whole thing weighed about 600 lbs. It took about a dozen men half an hour to get it upright.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635384526/" title="Palm Sunday by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Palm Sunday" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5635384526_e0444ccc41_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are some of the shorter palms, arranged around the statue of St. Szymon:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5634892957/" title="Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Palm Sunday in Lipnica Murowana" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5109/5634892957_aeba118703_z.jpg" width="427" /></a>
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And for a height comparison, this is me with the palms I bought. They were made by local schoolchildren:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635502138/" title="Me in Lipnica by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Me in Lipnica" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5635502138_5e07a58bce_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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As an aside and a link to pre-Christian Poland, to which we owe a great deal of these colourful customes, it's worth taking note of the little wooden gothic church of St. Leonard which stands in Lipnica by the Uszwica river. If you go inside and walk around behind the altar, you will find that it is suspended on a worn, wooden pillar.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5634970061/" title="St. Leonard's church in Lipnica Murowana by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="St. Leonard's church in Lipnica Murowana" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5634970061_99b47a711e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">This pillar is supposedly a Slavic Pagan totem which once represented Svetovid, a four-faced god. Though the building as we see it now was built in the 15th century, the first church on this site was originally built in the early 12th century, in a Pagan holy grove. Instead of being destroyed, the sacred statue was used as a support for the altar. Poland had only been Christian for a few hundred years, and the old Slavic faith was still very much present. But here as everywhere, the new religion replaced the old one- albeit with an unusual amount of respect.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5635582588/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Pagan to Christian by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Pagan to Christian" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5108/5635582588_dbe2990495_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old religion and the new.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://maps.google.pl/maps?q=%C5%81yse,+Mazowieckie&hl=pl&ie=UTF8&sll=52.322433,20.761276&sspn=0.171024,0.528374&oq=%C5%82yse,+mazowi&hnear=%C5%81yse,+ostro%C5%82%C4%99cki,+Mazowieckie&t=m&z=13"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://maps.google.pl/maps?q=%C5%81yse,+Mazowieckie&hl=pl&ie=UTF8&sll=52.322433,20.761276&sspn=0.171024,0.528374&oq=%C5%82yse,+mazowi&hnear=%C5%81yse,+ostro%C5%82%C4%99cki,+Mazowieckie&t=m&z=13</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://maps.google.pl/maps?q=Lipnica+Murowana&hl=pl&ie=UTF8&ll=49.858349,20.524864&spn=0.090193,0.264187&sll=53.364151,21.564928&sspn=0.083484,0.264187&hnear=Lipnica+Murowana,+boche%C5%84ski,+ma%C5%82opolskie&t=m&z=13"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://maps.google.pl/maps?q=Lipnica+Murowana&hl=pl&ie=UTF8&ll=49.858349,20.524864&spn=0.090193,0.264187&sll=53.364151,21.564928&sspn=0.083484,0.264187&hnear=Lipnica+Murowana,+boche%C5%84ski,+ma%C5%82opolskie&t=m&z=13</span></a></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0966, 32-724, Poland49.8583899 20.524792649.7764959 20.3668641 49.9402839 20.682721100000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-4845553582115189662012-03-20T22:43:00.000+01:002012-03-20T22:43:47.700+01:00Drowning the Marzanna<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Marzanna is an ancient pagan Slavic goddess, and one of her domains is Winter. On the vernal equinox which falls on March 21st, we make an effigy of her, set it on fire and then drown it in the river so that Spring will come.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5548107078/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="80/365: The Marzanna"><img alt="80/365: The Marzanna " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5548107078_2e747799c2_z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Marzanna from last year</td></tr>
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So, where does this tradition come from?<br />
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Slavic Pagans, of course.<br />
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Although Christianity in Poland has worked hard for the last thousand years to assimilate and conceal the multitude of wonderful pagan traditions within its Catholic celebrations, the drowning of the Marzanna persists despite many attempts to eradicate it. In fact it's traditional for pre-school children to make the effigy in class and then have a little field trip to drown her. Sometimes, older children will cut out paper numbers- symbolising their bad grades- and throw them in the water as well.<br />
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Your typical Marzanna should be made of straw, and dressed in white- or, as they do it in some regions, wound out of rags and wearing a colourful maiden's dress. The puppet would be paraded through the village so that she might draw out misery, hunger, sickness, and all the evils of the cold seasons out of every house. Once that duty was fulfilled, she would be set on fire and dropped into the water- and woe be unto those who looked back at her on their way home. Even torn to shreds, the goddess could still take vengeance with a curse.<br />
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The burning of Judas which was meant to replace it somehow never really caught on...and I am glad. Marzanna must die as the Winter cedes to Spring, but she will return next season to live again. Her burning is a symbol of the natural order, while tormenting a straw effigy of Judas only serves to translate guilt into angry righteousness.<br />
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Another ancient tradition would have us greet Jaryła, the god of Spring and fertility, with dances and rituals. Slavic religion persists in several modern-day faith groups, but so far my attempts to get in touch with them have been fruitless, so alas I can't give you an account of anything more authentic than the secularised drowning of Marzanna.<br />
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So. I haven't done this in a while, for lack of good company, but last year I found two friends who thought it was a great idea. We made our Marzanna from wood, rags and hay, so she should decompose well. The Ner river is pretty dirty already, but there was no need to contribute to the pollution.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5547511761/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Kasia, Piotrek, and Marzanna by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Kasia, Piotrek, and Marzanna" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5547511761_674431431a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello, Spring, goodbye, Winter!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5547536545/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Burning the Marzanna by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Burning the Marzanna" height="427" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5547536545_82235105f8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You do have to set her on fire before you drown her.</td></tr>
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As a bonus, here's a rather lovely video of the traditional drowning, shot last year by some Poles in...Glasgow. ;) Apparently they're <a href="http://cosmopolis10.blogspot.com/2012/03/drowning-marzanna-2012.html" target="_blank">doing it again this year</a>, on March 25th. If you're in Glasgow, go join in the fun!</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on Slavic Paganism:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_paganism">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_paganism</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">COSMOPOLIS- the authors of the Drowning Marzanna video:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://cosmopolis10.blogspot.com/">http://cosmopolis10.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Literary source: <i>Polskie Obrzędy i Zwyczaje</i>, Dr. Barbara Ogrodowska</span><br />
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0 Konstantynów Łódzki, Poland51.732450588395068 19.32357788085937551.722616088395071 19.303836880859375 51.742285088395064 19.343318880859375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-26398720632850886332012-02-26T18:27:00.000+01:002012-02-26T18:28:50.603+01:00The king of the forest<div style="text-align: center;">
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Since it's a bit cold and messy outside, allow me to take you on a little journey of natural discovery.<br />
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On the farthest Eastern edge of our country, straddled over the border we share with Belarus lies a magical wilderness: the primeval forest of <span style="text-align: left;">Białowieża</span>.<br />
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With only small villages to house guests and scarce transportation, the region does not, at first glance, seem like an inviting tourist location. No large hotels, no resorts, no shopping, no night life.<br />
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But one does not come to <span style="text-align: left;">Białowieża</span> for the night life. Not the human sort, anyway, which leaves you hungover and dry-mouthed, sleeping through the better part of the morning. In <span style="text-align: left;">Białowieża</span>, it behooves the tourist to rise before the sun, don her wellingtons, and rush through the dewy dawn with eyes wide open and camera in hand, to catch the boar, the deer, and the wisent at their breakfast grazing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6011037894/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Dawn in Teremiski by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Dawn in Teremiski" height="427" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6127/6011037894_437304a69d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deer coming to have a drink of water from the pond, at 4:30 am. A sight worth losing sleep over.</td></tr>
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Leave man-made entertainment in the cities. Here, nature is your host.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6041101609/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Białowieża Primeval Forest by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Białowieża Primeval Forest" height="427" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6201/6041101609_f841d0cd49_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A path designed to protect the undergrowth from humans in the strict protection zone of the National Park.<br />
You cannot enter this area without a guide.</td></tr>
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The border leaves most of the woodland on the Belarussian side, but what is left in Poland is still a vast and ecologically rich area. Over centuries, it was protected as a king's hunting grounds, and thus survived almost intact until the 1900s. Both World Wars caused significant damage, but it was in 1919 that the forest suffered what was arguably its greatest loss: the death of the last wild wisent.<br />
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What's a wisent, you ask?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6336604129/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wisent or Żubr by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wisent or Żubr" height="427" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6111/6336604129_2dfdc68735_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello!</td></tr>
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Otherwise known as the <i>Bison bonasus, </i>it is a cousin of the American bison (<i>Bison bison</i>), and the largest European mammal. A male can weigh up to 920 kilos (that's over two thousand lbs!), and lives about 25 years. Isn't it frightening that both species of this impressive genus, though divided by a great ocean, came so close to extinction by fault of man's drive to war and conquest?<br />
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I say they came close- because luckily, the wisent is back.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6336703949/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wisent or Żubr by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wisent or Żubr" height="427" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6112/6336703949_7e9261af11_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in style, baby.</td></tr>
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In 1923, in that short period between World Wars, a society was formed in Poland with the express intention of saving the species and returning the wisent back to the European wilderness- starting with the Białowieża forest. Their hope lay in the many wisent from Białowieża which had been sent to zoological gardens worldwide during the 19th century. As it turned out, there were only 54 individuals who had survived in captivity. And not all of them were fit to reproduce...</div>
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But in the end, the attempt was successful. The first wisent, a male born in Germany and named Borusse was placed in the forest preserve a mere six years later. He was joined by two females, the pureblood Biserta and the half wisent half bison Faworytka, both raised in Stockholm. By the time World War Two broke out, sixteen wisent were romping in the forest- luckily, all of them survived the ordeal.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6469369841/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wild wisent in Teremiski by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild wisent in Teremiski" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6469369841_ee1c4e05e6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little herd chilling out.</td></tr>
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Today, there are over 500 bison living wild in the Polish part of the Białowieża forest. This is still a small number, and with the genetic material all going back to the same small group of wisent recovered from the zoos, it is important to control the further expanse of the population. Each new wisent is recorded in the European Bison Pedigree Book, published yearly- this helps guarantee the purity of the species and grants important information to breeders. Today, the Book counts over 4000 bison worldwide, over half of that number living in the wild. A 1000 of them live in Poland, of which half reside in the Białowieża forest.<br />
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So, you see, if you go visit Białowieża, you won't have too much trouble spotting a wisent, whether in the reserve, or out grazing a field. Just remember these few tips: don't get too close, approach them quietly and with great caution, and if the wisent looks right at you- stop, and don't come any closer. He's watching you, now. He'll keep on watching you until you go away. And if you don't go away- he will.<br />
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Most of all, remember that he's the king of the forest, and you are merely his guest.<br />
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By the way, the Polish word for wisent is 'żubr'. Have you ever heard of a vodka called Żubrówka? It's a yellowish colour, and comes in a tall bottle with a blade of bisongrass inside. Yep. It's named after the wisent, and it's one of the best vodkas in Poland.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Meta Info:</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on Białowieża Forest:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bia%C5%82owie%C5%BCa_Forest">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bia%C5%82owie%C5%BCa_Forest</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Official website of the Białowieża National Park:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bpn.com.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=178">http://bpn.com.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=178</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">A photo of dr Erna Mohr and Borusse, the first wisent to return to the forest:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bpn.com.pl/images/stories/opisy/wydawnictwa/erna.png">http://bpn.com.pl/images/stories/opisy/wydawnictwa/erna.png</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">The European Bison Pedigree Book in History and Today ( a pdf with lots of cool old photos)</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bpn.com.pl/images/stories/opisy/wydawnictwa/krz/broszura_ang.pdf">http://bpn.com.pl/images/stories/opisy/wydawnictwa/krz/broszura_ang.pdf</a> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry for Żubrówka Vodka:</span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBubr%C3%B3wka">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBubr%C3%B3wka</a></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com3Białowieża, Poland52.714043186748313 23.83346557617187552.637029686748313 23.675537076171874 52.791056686748313 23.991394076171876tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-89148578831859089042012-02-16T18:54:00.000+01:002012-02-16T18:54:22.536+01:00Fat Thursday<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4348876983/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="42/365: Pączki for Fat Thursday by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="42/365: Pączki for Fat Thursday" height="427" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4034/4348876983_1394f44676_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll have a dozen of those, and a dozen of these.</td></tr>
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The photo above shows a confectioner's stall at the market near my place. Normally the shelves are filled with different kinds of cakes- chocolate eclairs, honey gingerbread, puff pastries, jam buns...<br />
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But today, it is all pączki. Because today, my friends, is Fat Thursday, and custom declares that on Fat Thursday a person should eat as many pączki as they can. And then they should eat some more.<br />
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Last year, Poles are said to have eaten 95 million pączki. That's about two and a half per citizen. You see, no one counts calories on this day(a pączek will set you back about 400 empty ones, if you really must know). If you don't eat, you'll be miserable for the rest of the year, superstition says.<br />
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But pączki are available year-round. Why are they so immensely popular on this one day in the year?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3292926286/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Lots of pączki by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Lots of pączki" height="427" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3252/3292926286_6a1eab3973_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon delivery to the bakeries. All of those crates are filled with pączki.</td></tr>
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Fat Thursday a.k.a. Tłusty Czwartek (pronounced twoosty tschvartek) is a mobile feast, falling on the thursday before Ash Wednesday. One week of Carnival remains; one week before sweets, fatty foods and festivities must be set aside for Lent. In Catholic custom, Lent is fourty days of fasting and religious reflection meant to cleanse and prepare the faithful for Easter.<br />
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The practical purpose of Fat Thursday is for bakers to use up all excess of fat and sugar before the fasting begins and business on sweet treats slows down. On this day, you might have a hard time finding anything BUT pączki in the bakeries.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4349627698/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Pączki by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Pączki" height="427" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4014/4349627698_7624d7d9b3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose jam, marmalade, toffee, chocolate? So many different fillings...</td></tr>
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The traditional pączek is a yeasty ball with a rose jam centre, fried in lard (vegetarians beware). But, according to the most famous Polish confectioners, the Blikle family, in the 17th century, pączki were stuffed with <b>bacon.</b><br />
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Now, there is a common misconception in America, I have noticed, about this traditional Polish dessert called 'pączki'. I'd like to clear that up.<br />
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First of all, we do not eat them on Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the Tuesday followed immediately by Ash Wednesday, effectively the last day of the Carnival before Lent, but it is not a feast celebrated in Poland.<br />
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We do not celebrate 'Pączki Day', either. That is a Polish-American tradition.<br />
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Second of all, they are not doughnuts. Doughnuts have holes in them and they are a completely different dough besides. And what you might think are doughnut holes are mini pączki, or pączusie.<br />
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Now, about the name itself. I have heard the word explained as 'packages'. Not so- the word actually means 'buds'. See the little tail underneath the 'a'? That makes an 'aw' sound, and the word is pronounced 'pawnchkee'. The confusion comes from replacing the letter with a regular 'a':<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">'p<b>a</b>czki' </span></div>
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are, indeed, packages, preferably wrapped up in brown paper and tied up with string.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 'p<b>ą</b>czki'</span></div>
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however, are buds, such as you would see on a tree in springtime, and though the cakes named after them do often come wrapped in paper, its colour is waxed off-white, and the string is ribbon rather than jute.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/2413856275/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Buds by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Buds" height="427" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2244/2413856275_5fb02f9ba7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are also pączki.</td></tr>
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Note also that the word is plural, the singular form being 'pączek' (pronounced 'pawncheck'). One pączek, two pączki. Of course it is only natural that the English language would add an extra s and adapt the word as pączkis. :) (the aforementioned 'pączusie' is a diminutive, and indicates the 'pączek' has been shrunk to cuteness.)<br />
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If all this etymology has made you hungry, you should feel justified in running out to the nearest confectionery shop and bringing home as many sweet pastries as you can carry. It is, after all, Tłusty Czwartek.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta Info:</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on Fat Thursday:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Thursday</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Blikle on pączki:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://www.tvp.pl/styl-zycia/aktualnosci/lukasz-blikle-w-tlusty-czwartek-badzmy-lakomczuchami/4080794</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-76302429209448129102012-01-31T18:50:00.000+01:002012-01-31T18:54:27.381+01:00The 100-day danceThough the Polish education system has seen changes upon changes in the last couple of decades, the crowning of a high school education is still the passing of the Matura- the so-called 'maturity exam' which earns the student a diploma and the right to attend university.<br />
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The exams take place in May, but it is customary to celebrate them in January, approximately one hundred days earlier, with a school dance called the Studniówka.<br />
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Think of it as a sort of prom, or high school ball- it's a very important affair. Some schools choose to hold it in their gym, but many will rent out a hotel ballroom instead, which makes it easier for alcohol to circulate. One glass of champagne is the official allowed amount (18 is the legal drinking age in Poland), but we shall not speak of what is poured under the tables. My own studniówka lasted until seven o'clock the next morning, and I distinctly remember the hotel ushers asking us to leave, saying 'enough already'. The trick of the dance is that none but the most confident students can be certain of graduating, and the exam is months away. That certainly adds excitement!<br />
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So, precautions are taken that have little to do with studying. One superstition claims that in order to graduate, one must wear red underwear to the studniówka, then wear it again, unwashed, to the exam. In Warsaw, where I grew up, the custom is to go to the Old Town after your Studniówka, find the statues of poet Adam Mickiewicz and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, then jump around them on one leg. An unbroken skip around Mickiewicz will guarantee you a passing grade in literature and language, while Copernicus takes care of mathematics and strict sciences.<br />
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Seems simple enough, until you factor in the January snow, ice, and high heels.<br />
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But the most important tradition of the Studniówka is the first dance: traditionally and unquestionably a polonaise. Its roots lie in 16th century folk dances, and it is easy enough to learn. Even with two left feet all you need to do is follow the pair ahead of you, in time with the majestic music.<br />
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In some cities, the dance has been pulled out of the gyms and ballrooms and brought to the streets. In the bitter cold of January, hundreds of students file through the city, led in the dance by a pair or trio dressed in the historical garb of the 16th century 'szlachta'.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6795586417/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_9680 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_9680" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6795586417_3c01be2531_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These boys would do fine in suits, but I maintain that even the <br />
homeliest of men looks like a prince in a<i> żupan</i> and <i>kontusz</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6795604239/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_9764 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_9764" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6795604239_8209f811a4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As they say 'We hope we don't see you here next year!'</td></tr>
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Bystanders are welcome to join the dance and make the parade grow longer- it starts out as a column of pairs and ends up spreading across the whole width of the street with as many as sixteen people in one row. In Łódź, the students have been dancing for seven years now. One of the traditions for the dancers is to grab the statue of Tuwim by the nose as they pass it by (I <a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/09/locomotive.html" target="_blank">wrote about the Lodzian poet Tuwim</a> last year)- this is supposed to bring good luck.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/35962457?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
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So, we do wish them fortune and a calm mind during their upcoming exams. But they shouldn't thank us, no matter how polite that may seem- it's bad luck!</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta information</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">The music you hear in the video is the most popular modern polonaise, composed by Wojciech Kilar for the Andrzej Wajda film 'Pan Tadeusz', based on an epic poem of the same name written by Adam Mickiewicz- the great Polish poet mentioned above. Here is the clip from the film featuring the score and the dance:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq-VmzcJa3Y" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq-VmzcJa3Y </span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry with links to articles about the clothes worn by Polish nobility </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kontusz">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kontusz</a><span style="color: #666666;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry about the Polonaise</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonaise">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonaise</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-32480188894275102312012-01-14T17:47:00.001+01:002012-01-14T18:10:30.759+01:00The shipyard where it all began.Gdańsk- always a special one among our cities, always with something loud, something different going on. While it always had a particularly interesting and rebellious history, the modern world recognises it first of all as the backdrop for the Solidarity movement's stand against the Soviet Union.<br />
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You could say it all started in the shipyards.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6694644397/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gdańsk by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Gdańsk" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6694644397_866e613be2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stocznia Gdańska- Gdańsk shipyard.</td></tr>
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First came the illegal strikes in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_1970_protests" target="_blank">August 1970</a>- illegal, because under communist law, neither strikes nor the forming of independent trade unions were allowed without government approval and the endorsement of the only political Party- the communist party.<br />
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So the government responded with open fire, killing dozens and wounding more than a thousand. The years that followed brough repression and arrests for union leaders and activists- among them, shipyard electrician <b>Lech Wałęsa</b>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6694733671/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""Wałęsa" film set by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt=""Wałęsa" film set" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6694733671_9c70a9058a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gate to the famous Gdańsk Lenin Shipyard, with militia (police forces during martial law) parked<br />
in front. Luckily, they're only actors! A film about Lech Wałęsa is being shot there right now.</td></tr>
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But in 1980, the strike that ended communism in Poland began at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk. In a move that was notably symbolic, Wałęsa, who had been fired from the shipyard four years earlier for his criticism of the union laws, leapt back over the wall and joined the strike. He was quickly appointed its leader.<br />
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The wave swept across Poland, unstoppable. Eventually, even the government-approved and party-controlled unions joined in.<br />
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The first victory was achieved quickly: the communist government signed an agreement which granted workers the right to strike, and allowed the formation of independent trade unions.<br />
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This is how Solidarity was born- post-war Poland's first legal independent trade union and mass movement. With ten million members all across the country, it was a force the communist government had no choice but to reckon with. Even so, its steady fight for freedom lasted ten years.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XEaUDJcS5p8/TxGq5VuLurI/AAAAAAAAAaM/-xpNrlle_TE/s1600/Solidarity_%2528Polish_trade_union%2529_%2528logo%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XEaUDJcS5p8/TxGq5VuLurI/AAAAAAAAAaM/-xpNrlle_TE/s1600/Solidarity_%2528Polish_trade_union%2529_%2528logo%2529.png" /></a></div>
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There were hurdles along the way; compromises, negotiations, hard choices, controversies, invigilations, murders, prison sentences. During the 1981 martial law (which<a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/12/apocalypse-now-1981.html" target="_blank"> I wrote briefly about this december</a>), Solidarity activists were arrested and detained en masse. In 1982, Solidarity was outlawed again, and had to move to the underground for four years. In 1983, Wałęsa received the<a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1983/press.html" target="_blank"> Nobel Peace prize</a> for his efforts to resolve the conflict without resorting to violence. He always strove first and foremost to negotiate with the communists- a path which some will say was not radical enough. He could not even leave the country to receive the Prize, fearing that he would not be allowed back across the border.<br />
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History will judge us, they say. But the fact is that thanks to Solidarity's work, today, I live in a free country. I can speak my mind without being detained. I can challenge the laws and government if I find them unjust. I can purchase whatever goods I wish without needing permission from the government; I can own property, posess foreign currency, and travel abroad without restrictions. I can vote in an election and know that my vote will be counted fairly.<br />
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These and many other freedoms were denied to my parents for the majority of their lives. I myself was born into a country which did not guarantee me basic human rights. I consider myself extremely lucky to have had those rights restored while I was still a child.<br />
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There is more to be said about Gdańsk- much more to be said about Wałęsa, who eventually became our first non-communist President, about the work of Solidarity, and Poland's struggle to sever its communist bond with the USSR. I don't dare to try and explain it all on this fluffy blog ;). But there are many books and films which you can turn to. As we speak, Oscar-winner Andrzej Wajda is filming a biopic about Wałęsa at the same Gdańsk Shipyard (my photo of the shoot at the beginning of this post). I expect it will be a good primer to the subject.<br />
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So, if you're in Gdańsk, take a stroll away from the picturesque medieval part of town. Go West, past the train station, to the three crosses memorial for the fallen shipyard workers, the looming cranes, and the famous Second Gate. History was made here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6694701259/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gdańsk by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Gdańsk" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6694701259_7dc58997f6_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shipyard wall and cranes, as seen from Ulica Robotnicza- 'Worker's Street'</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta Information</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry about the Gdańsk shipyard:</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gda%C5%84sk_Shipyard" style="font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gda%C5%84sk_Shipyard</a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry about Lech Wałęsa:</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech_Wa%C5%82%C4%99sa" style="font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lech_Wa%C5%82%C4%99sa</a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry about Solidarity:</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_(Polish_trade_union)" style="font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_(Polish_trade_union)</a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Solidarity logo is copyrighted to Solidarity and used under the terms of fair use with the intent of identifying the organisation:</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solidarity_(Polish_trade_union)_(logo).png" style="font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solidarity_(Polish_trade_union)_(logo).png</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Doki 1, 80-001 Gdańsk, Poland54.3599038 18.648708854.350651299999996 18.6289678 54.3691563 18.6684498tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-1079560684632688532012-01-07T18:48:00.001+01:002012-01-08T17:39:16.157+01:00The Great OrchestraThis is probably one of the most awesome things I will ever write about.<br />
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Every year in January, Poland explodes with a nationwide charity event called The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. The organisation collects money for a different cause every year, usually focusing on pediatric care and neo-natal medical equipment.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ueKqcwBaMeA/TwiYUBaqi3I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/lWOsn7MTsaM/s1600/Serce_wosp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ueKqcwBaMeA/TwiYUBaqi3I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/lWOsn7MTsaM/s1600/Serce_wosp.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOŚP, or GOCC- literally the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.</td></tr>
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This sounds ordinary enough until you find out that...<br />
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In 1993, during the very first Orchestra, the foundation raised 1,5 million U.S. dollars, an unexpected success. So, the Foundation was formed and a new event organised every year for the next 19 years...<br />
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And so, in just<b> <span style="font-size: large;">ONE day</span></b> last year, the amount raised came to<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>over 13 million U.S. dollars.</b></span><br />
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<b>One day. Crazy, no?</b><br />
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<b>And the sum of 19 years of such days is a staggering 125 million USD.</b><br />
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It's an unquestionable fact by now that in Poland, for just one day, everyone's pockets open up. Children bring their jars of pennies, adults donate precious items and jewellery. A small coin or a bill- every little bit counts, and the evidence is in the numbers. Thirteen million dollars last year bought much-needed equipment to help hospitals treat newborns and young children with urological and kidney diseases.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6660274129/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="WOŚP 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="WOŚP 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6660274129_ea86114cc6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A heart made out of copper coins- people are encouraged to bring their smallest change and throw it<br />
into the pattern. Many companies and businesses also brought bags of coins to add to the pile.<br />
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This year, the money collected will buy equipment to save prematurely born children, and insulin pumps for pregnant diabetics.<br />
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Thanks to the Orchestra and the equipment they finance, certain medical conditions which used to be a grave issue are now 100% treatable in Poland.<br />
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I believe that's the definition of awesome. The Orchestra's motto is<b> 'We will play until the end of the world and one day longer',</b> and for 20 years now they have lived up to it.<br />
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<b>So, how do they do it?</b><br />
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Peace, love, and rock'n'roll. The hippyish philosophy works wonders on this one day a year. Free concerts are set up all over the country, with celebrities, musicians, sound and light companies and many, many other people donating their time. The national television's Channel Two dedicates the entire day to the event, transmitting live from all over the country.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6660175513/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="WOŚP 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="WOŚP 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6660175513_47b07b2b40_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The City Guard ride through Łódź brandishing the GOCC banner.</td></tr>
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120 thousand volunteers walk around Poland that day. That's 120 thousand people who have to be trusted not to take the money and run- and, as the Foundation points out, the numbers suggest that an overwhelming majority proves to be honest. I was a volunteer a few times, it's a popular thing to do when you're a teenager- statistics say 11% of Poles were volunteers for the Orchestra at least once in their lives. You get a cardboard money bank, a laminated ID card, and several sheets of heart-shaped stickers. There are a few rules- you may not solicit any money before, or after the Finale Day. And knocking on people's doors is not allowed. But whoever drops money into the box gets a sticker, and so for the next few weeks you will see people walking around town with red hearts stuck to their coats and hats.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DaBZcIaTdII/Twm9rK3kjQI/AAAAAAAAAaE/053odhlv_10/s1600/angels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DaBZcIaTdII/Twm9rK3kjQI/AAAAAAAAAaE/053odhlv_10/s1600/angels.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend and I way back in 1997 when I volunteered for the first time.<br />
The angel wings definitely got people's attention.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6660224109/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="WOŚP 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="WOŚP 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6660224109_9ecb6d7bca_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pony sporting heart stickers during this year's horse parade in Łódź</td></tr>
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Similarly, the equipment bought with the foundation's help is also marked with their symbol- you will see the red heart on quite a few hospital machines and ambulances.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-doi_mAkrMdM/TwiW-eu_wDI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/6oKNH6H2Btk/s1600/Karetka_pogotowia_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-doi_mAkrMdM/TwiW-eu_wDI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/6oKNH6H2Btk/s640/Karetka_pogotowia_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ambulance with GOCC logo- <a href="http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Karetka_pogotowia_2.jpg&filetimestamp=20080111181630" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons file</a> by Wikimedia user Reytan.</td></tr>
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But the streets is not the only place where it happens. Items of value are donated for <a href="http://aukcje.wosp.org.pl/country_pages/2/0/wosp/lista_specjalna.php" target="_blank">special auctions</a>- online, even regular users can decide to donate their proceeds to the Foundation thanks to an official partnership from the auction site. And celebrities do their part- this year for example we have an auction for an invitation to an NBA match from NBA player Marcin Gortat, a fountain pen belonging to the late president Kaczyński, and even a special custom made bike from Paul Jr. of Orange County Choppers.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(My favourite, however, must be the pilot hat of Captain Wrona- the skilled airline pilot who elegantly <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Q9WNnJprwzU#t=23s" target="_blank">set a 767 plane down without any landing gear</a> this last November.)</span><br />
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The day in which all the collections take place is called the Great Finale. It starts bright and early in the morning with tv transmissions from the man behind all of this madness- Jurek Owsiak, a cheerful 59 year-old in bright red glasses with a characteristic stutter. With the donated help of airlines, helicopters and various transport companies he travels around the country, going from town to town before returning to Warsaw for the "Light to the sky". At eight pm all over the country fireworks go off as a thank you to everyone who took part in the event, and everyone is encouraged to light a candle, flashlight, phone, anything they can, and raise it to the heavens to show that we are here, that we are one, and that we CAN achieve great things together.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5343953728/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="9/365: Christmas Charity by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="9/365: Christmas Charity" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5085/5343953728_9c18d12a6b_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GOCC Finale in Łódź, 2011.</td></tr>
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Another way of saying 'thank you' is the yearly Woodstock Festival, also organised by the Orchestra in the summertime. It is currently the biggest open-air concert in Europe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyeRvkgKdCo&feature=relmfu" target="_blank">It's kind of insane. </a><br />
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This festival, while also free to attend is financed separately from the January charity event, through different sponsors. One of the important things about GOCC is their careful and detailed account of how they spend the money- it makes them all the more trustworthy in the public sight, and that matters when you're trying to save children's lives!<br />
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As if all that weren't enough, the Foundation also teaches CPR in schools, recruits special Peace Rescue Patrols that volunteer in dispensing first aid at public events, and run nationwide programs for early cancer diagnostics, hearing screenings, treatment of retinopathy in preemies, and diabetic therapy for children. And then some more. In 2010, they organised an additional, almost spontaneous collection for the victims of heavy floods from that summer- handing out special, blue heart stickers.<br />
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Here's an English-language film they produced explaining what they do.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V05zIjC8tXY" width="640"></iframe></div>
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And if you're abroad, you can take part, too! Either by bidding on an auction, by <a href="http://en.wosp.org.pl/foundation/how_to_help_our_causel" target="_blank">donating</a>, or by joining the crew. <a href="http://wosp.org.pl/sztaby.php?id=2" target="_blank">Here is a list of foreign staff bases</a>- we have them in the US, on the British Isles, in Germany, and even in Afghanistan.<br />
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Til the end of the world, and one day longer!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Meta information:</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">GOCC (WOŚP) logo is copyrighted to WOŚP and used under the terms of fair use with the intent of identifying the organisation:</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Serce_wosp.png"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Serce_wosp.png</span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">GOCC official website in english:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.en.wosp.org.pl/"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://www.en.wosp.org.pl/</span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry about Jurek Owsiak:</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerzy_Owsiak"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerzy_Owsiak</span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Image of ambulance from Wikimedia Commons:</span><br />
<a href="http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Karetka_pogotowia_2.jpg&filetimestamp=20080111181630"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Karetka_pogotowia_2.jpg&filetimestamp=20080111181630</span></a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Poland51.919438 19.14513646.9069825 9.0377140000000011 56.9318935 29.252558tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-87080357844240346552012-01-07T16:01:00.000+01:002012-01-07T16:01:26.706+01:00Cavalcade of the MagiJanuary 6th is the famous Twelfth Night, Twelfth Day of Christmas, and is traditionally celebrated as the day in which the Magi, or Three Kings, finally arrived at the manger.<br />
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In Poland, January 6th has been a public holiday since 2011, and much like on Christmas day, all the stores, banks, shops and offices are closed. In 2009, the first large-scale cavalcade (a public parade of the Three Kings and their symbolic courts) took place in Warsaw. With several hundred participants and tens of thousands of spectators, it's one of the biggest nativity plays in Europe.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5333726356/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="6/365:Crowds at Three Kings procession by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="6/365:Crowds at Three Kings procession" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5047/5333726356_6d19c2ee85_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year, it was freezing cold, but ten thousand people still showed up.<br />
This year, there were more than three times as many!</td></tr>
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And indeed, the whole thing is a large, open-air play. This year, more than 24 cities took part in the cavalcade, or as we call it in Polish, the Orszak Trzech Króli.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-feyj46N2abQ/TweZAz9cSWI/AAAAAAAAAZs/ByMQwV4auCo/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-01-07+at+1.59.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-feyj46N2abQ/TweZAz9cSWI/AAAAAAAAAZs/ByMQwV4auCo/s320/Screen+shot+2012-01-07+at+1.59.10+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pronounced Oar-shack Tscheh Crooley ;)</td></tr>
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The public is encouraged to play along; paper crowns and song books are distributed to the crowd by volunteers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650058333/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6650058333_5b4f6139dc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone gets a crown.</td></tr>
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The Kings Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar ride through town, in a chariot, on a horse and on a camel, respectively.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6649969115/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6649969115_131f3cf3ee_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right to left: Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar.</td></tr>
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Their courts are color-coded: children in red capes and silver helmets for Caspar, who represents the continent of Europe, green capes and rice hats for Melchior who represents Asia, and blue capes and headscarves for Balthasar and Africa. The courts gather by Sigismund's Column in the Old Town Square in Warsaw at noon for the Angelus prayer, then set out to walk to Piłsudski Square where a family acts in a live creche.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650105809/" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7169/6650105809_57eea85b95_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But before they and the thousands of ordinary people following them can take their crowns off to pay respect to Jesus (who in Christian tradition is the King of Kings), they must face several obstacles.<br />
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Never fear: they are guided by the Star of Bethlehem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5333721120/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Star by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Star" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5001/5333721120_c3e2dd9c6b_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This type of spinning star is traditionally used by carolers.</td></tr>
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Behind it come hosts of angels, traditionally played by blind and disabled children, and proper shepherds from the Southern mountains singing carols.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650109587/" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6650109587_c8b8765536_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6649990683/" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6649990683_556340f9bf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Among them walk the Cardinal Archbishop and clergy, mountain lifeguards, a choir, then at last the hosts of the kings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6649997885/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6649997885_8d19fe1b65_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The absolutely ADORABLE hosts of the kings.</td></tr>
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But on their way to Betlehem, they will be sorely tempted, for they must pass through the Republic of Pleasure, where the minions of Hell will offer them fantastic, lucrative deals in exchange for their souls.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650089667/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6650089667_f64808ac66_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hell's attorneys and business representatives, heckling passers-by to sign contracts for their souls.</td></tr>
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Then, they will witness the battle of Good and Evil. On a pedestal, a choir of angels sings out virtues, while below, cloaked in clouds of sulphur, a band of devils screeches out sins.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650091081/" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6650091081_75b3fdb38a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Suspended in uncertainty between them is a man, who climbs up and down a ladder, struggling with his vices and ambitions, unable yet to ascend to Heaven, unwilling still to descend to Hell.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650094627/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6650094627_fd5aa28177_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor fellow got a lot of exercise that day.</td></tr>
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Betlehem draws near, but now the courts pass through the kingdom of Herod, who watches from his window and calls out: Where are you going? To see the newborn King?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650103681/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6650103681_baba752188_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impostor!!!!</td></tr>
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I am the only King, he claims, and demands to be told where the baby Jesus is, so that he may kill the usurper.<br />
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We know, of course, that the baby is in the manger, where the parade culminates with the giving of the gifts, and a blessing. Carols are sung out loud throughout the event, the public taking over in the gaps between mobile speakers.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650115649/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6650115649_ac306cabfe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That donkey was singing quite a lot, too.</td></tr>
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And that's how it was this year. Additional attractions were the performances of several young childrens' choirs, a choreographed banner dance, and a beautiful Chinese-style dragon at the head of the Asian group.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650073529/" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6650073529_2997aa4ea8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Balthasar's camels, of course, were a highlight, as was the African-born King himself. Poland is a very pale-skinned country; though it is not exactly uncommon to see black people anymore, their presence in media, politics and other public events still causes interest. When you see someone who is not white in Poland, your first thought is 'a foreigner'; but the country is more diverse than many realise. King Balthasar, or rather mr. Martin Bol Deng Aleu, a native Sudanese forced to flee his country on account of his Christian faith, is a Polish citizen, and has been living here since 1996.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6650087839/" title="Three Kings 2012 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Three Kings 2012" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6650087839_2a692841ec_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It looks like the Cavalcade of the Magi, new as it is to Poland, has already become a proper tradition. Check it out next year!<br />
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And here's a pro tip- if you're watching in Warsaw, and can't get a good view on account of the crowd, go up to <a href="http://www.taraswidokowy.pl/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">the viewing terrace on top of St. Anna's church tower</a>. That's how I took the first photo in this post.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta information</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Orszak Trzech Króli website (Polish only)</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://orszak.org/">http://orszak.org/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia Entry on the Epiphany (Three Kings' Day)</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)</a></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Castle Square 1, 01-001 Warsaw, Poland52.247457487972611 21.01366996765136752.246242487972609 21.011202467651366 52.248672487972613 21.016137467651369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-6999757273845753252011-12-30T14:02:00.001+01:002012-01-05T19:17:03.757+01:00An Automaton Nativity SceneAfter a hearty Christmas meal (or three days later, depending on how well your stomach handles the twelve obligatory courses) it's time to take a walk. If you're in Warsaw, head to the Old Town, where, even on a snowless winter, everything looks magical and festive. As I already mentioned, one of the traditions is to visit the many churches in that historical part of town in order to see the various Nativity scenes.<br />
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But if you only visit one, it should be the automaton Nativity at the Capuchin Church on Miodowa Street.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595672111/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="218" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6595672111_02ba797d72_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nativity in its full glory. Upper right: the Holy Family, left: the Pope and Vatican. Far right: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595608483/in/photostream/lightbox/" target="_blank">Old Town Warsaw</a>.</td></tr>
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The Capuchins are a jolly bunch, being part of the Order of Friars Minor- Franciscans, those most humble of monks. And quite creative, too. It was St. Francis who invented the creche, or nativity scene, and Capuchins all over the world follow well in his tradition every Christmas.<br />
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But the nativity on Miodowa street is quite special. In 1948, so very shortly after the War that left Warsaw in ruins, brothers Pius Janowski and Konrad Wyczawski began to build their famous mechanical Nativity. The baroque church itself was not yet fully rebuilt. Originally constructed in 1683 by King Jan III Sobieski expressly for the newly-introduced Capuchins, it had been burned not once but twice during that war, once in 1939, and once in 1944. <br />
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In fact, Old Town Warsaw as it is depicted in the Nativity stands rebuilt, proud and colourful, but at the forefront are ruins, with a soldier in the broken window, aiming his rifle, and in the street, the figure of a young scout insurgent, his helmet too large for his brow, holding a sealed message- or perhaps a grenade.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595636037/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6595636037_93d5ea1168_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595646741/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6595646741_fbe47682b9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although the mechanism, once set in motion by hand, now runs on electricity and has recently been fitted with low-energy LED lighting, all of the original characters and decor have been preserved. A sneaky look behind the scenes reveals a complicated system of tracks, wheels, pulleys and levers which make the horses prance and the musicians play.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595723293/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6595723293_4c71709992_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595735029/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6595735029_526a6027a1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Each character is double-sided, as it moves along a looped track that winds all through the set, and so must be presentable from all angles. A closer look dates the automatons well- the painted clothes are a memory of the fourties, the horse-drawn wagon a reminder of how, not so long ago, even a short journey could be as harsh as a pilgrimage. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595670647/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6595670647_cd61f1e34f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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But not far behind rides the founder of the church, King Jan Sobieski, followed by two winged hussars- the legendary romantic ideal of Polish cavalry.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595642397/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6595642397_a24f12c059_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although my favourites were always the camels.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6595675311/" title="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="The Capuchin mechanical nativity scene" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6595675311_2949e257b7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This Nativity has a definite patriotic theme, with a parade of characters important to Polish history peeking out from behind the buildings. They change and vary from year to year. Last Christmas, just after we lost ninety six of our countrymen, including the Presidential Pair, in a plane crash, the monks placed a model of the destroyed airplane in the foreground.<br />
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The Nativity can be viewed every day from 10 am til 6 pm, from Christmas Day until February 2nd. Admission is free, but there is a collection box and gift shop. The proceeds go, of course, to the upkeep and renovation of the Nativity.<br />
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Below is a short video of the mechanism in motion. :)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34342354?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta information:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on Capuchin church in Warsaw (Polish only)</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C5%9Bci%C3%B3%C5%82_Przemienienia_Pa%C5%84skiego_w_Warszawie"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C5%9Bci%C3%B3%C5%82_Przemienienia_Pa%C5%84skiego_w_Warszawie</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on the Order of Friars Minor</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friars_Minor_Capuchin"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friars_Minor_Capuchin</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Miodowa 13, 01-001 Warsaw, Poland52.2468868 21.00968652.244456299999996 21.0047505 52.2493173 21.014621499999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-70591780776582252222011-12-24T01:33:00.002+01:002011-12-24T01:33:44.881+01:00How to make a real Christmas borscht: part 2You thought I'd left you hanging with that borscht, huh? All those beets, getting pretty smelly in their jars...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-real-christmas-borscht.html" target="_blank">Click here to see Part One of the recipe</a>, which should have left you with jars full of beets.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561626453/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6561626453_3f98861e13_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember, the longer the wait, the more acidic the soup. These jars have been sitting here since December 7th.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
And the truth is, when you open these jars, you will get a nasty surprise.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561634707/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6561634707_dc00691ca5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaaaaaargh!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
Mold! Nasty, horrible, green mold! Oh god and skies alive, what went wrong?<br />
<br />
Nothing. This is exactly what was supposed to happen. Fermented beet juice. Trust me, I've eaten borscht acidified with sourdough bread all my life and I'm fine. 38 million people living in Poland are fine. And awesome. Beet borscht makes you awesome.<br />
<br />
But, of course, we don't want to be eating the mold. Blech. Scoop it out. Yuck yuck yuck. That's your bread, and what's left of the garlic. Into the bin it goes. Forget you ever saw it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561641507/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6561641507_6724be2e48_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
Next, to make perfectly sure no nasty stuff remains in our soup, place a sheet of gauze over a thick sieve and pour the beet-water through.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561648133/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6561648133_59aa6f788f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean gauze, of course.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561656137/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6561656137_1c9ecf1b35_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wear an apron. Beet splashes are hard to wash out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561677007/" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6561677007_2f34eca1ce_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The gauze and the sieve will catch all the bad bits, leaving you with a pot full of gorgeous, red liquid.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561688477/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6561688477_1b178152cb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean, gorgeous, magical.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
This is not yet borscht.<br />
<br />
A step I have permitted myself to skip, because I assume everyone knows the basics, is making a large pot of broth. For Christmas Eve, it should be vegetable (no meat allowed) but on any other day you can use chicken, beef, or whatever your pleasure is.<br />
<br />
Just in case you forgot how to do it, here's a quick reminder: chop up some vegetables (absolute standard are carrots, leek, parsnip, celery root, onion) and dump them in a pot of water. You can add some butter, too.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561610851/" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6561610851_2e217a6165_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Simmer until vegetables are soft and soup is tasty.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561618993/" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6561618993_f175c50a3d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Take vegetables out. You have broth.<br />
<br />
Now, take that amazing red beet water and pour it into the broth.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561693877/" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6561693877_6a41e6dfb8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You can throw away the beets that were in the jars, by the way, they're useless to us now. However, you should take two or three fresh, raw beets, peel, and chop them.<br />
<br />
Add them to the broth, too. They won't do much for the taste at this point, but they will continue bringing out the colour.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6561717177/" title="Making borscht by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Making borscht" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6561717177_720df75934_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, this is important- let the lot simmer, but never boil. If it boils, it will lose that gorgeous colour. Keep an eye on it and let it cook slowly on a small flame until the fresh beets sink down to the bottom of the pot.<br />
<br />
Taste it. It should be strong, acidic, strangely exciting. If for some reason it fails to arouse your tastebuds, season it to your liking. And voila. Your borscht is ready.<br />
<br />
Remember to serve it with boiled mushroom uszka!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-60435214629724348702011-12-23T20:26:00.000+01:002011-12-23T23:13:26.219+01:00Polish Christmas NecessitiesIs a Polish Christmas really all that different from an American or British one?<br />
<br />
Well, yes. Yes it is. Mainly, Poles celebrate Christmas Eve more festively than Christmas Day.<br />
<br />
Here are a few things worth knowing about Christmas in Poland.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The first star</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Christmas Eve is a day of fasting. You're not supposed to eat anything until the big evening meal, which begins once the sun has set and the first star has appeared in the sky. This is a good way to keep kids busy as lookouts...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DdN17h-dMS0/TvRzzT3bMuI/AAAAAAAAAZg/i04l4b5Y5iE/s1600/strona01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DdN17h-dMS0/TvRzzT3bMuI/AAAAAAAAAZg/i04l4b5Y5iE/s640/strona01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Especially in the city, one must look out for the star. An illustration of mine for <a href="http://www.sklep.zysk.com.pl/gwiazda-betlejemska.html">"The Star of Betlehem"</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Christmas is also often referred to as 'Gwiazdka', or 'the little star'. This is a pretty name which everyone has adopted in good spirit, but its origins actually lie in the ploys of our socialist government of 1952-1989 to secularise the seasonal celebrations. The Polish term for 'Christmas' is 'Boże Narodzenie', quite literally, The Birth of God.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Opłatek</b><br />
<br />
Before the meal, the family gathers around to share opłatek. Opłatek (pronounced op-wah-tekk) named from the latin word 'oblatum' meaning 'offering'. It is just like communion wafer, except rectangular, embossed with Nativity imagery, has not been consecrated and thus is not sacramentally the body of Christ. It is typically made by nuns, and always blessed by a priest. Charities and churches distribute it in exchange for a donation.<br />
<br />
It works like this: you take a piece of opłatek, then go around the room, hugging and kissing each guest in turn. He or she will take a small piece from your opłatek, and you must take a piece from theirs. Then, you exchange best wishes for this Christmas and the upcoming New Year.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6560490225/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Opłatek by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Opłatek" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6560490225_2714d67348_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opłatek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Opłatek is an extremely important tradition in Polish culture, extending even beyond Christian households as a way of acknowledging each of our close ones individually, if only that for that one brief moment every year. If you don't have any handy, break some bread together, for as the saying goes, enemies will not sit down to a meal together. Therefore, anyone you share bread with is your friend.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>The Christmas Eve table</b><br />
<br />
There is a very particular set of rules regarding the setting of a Christmas table. Hay must be placed under or on the tablecloth, as a reminder of the manger that Jesus was born in.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/5296701386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hay on the table by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Hay on the table" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5244/5296701386_f327c10951_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hay on the table, a baby Jesus figurine dating back to my childhood, and, of course, one extra place setting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
There must also be one extra place setting, no matter how crowded the dining room. This place setting is meant for the Weary Traveler, whomever he may be- whether a lost soul, a loved one who could not make it home that year, or Jesus himself. In theory, anyone who seeks shelter and company on that night should be invited to share the Christmas meal with the family. In practice...well, some people are more welcoming than others.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>The animals</b><br />
<br />
Twelve dishes take a long time to consume, so once the meal is over, there is a small window of time in which people usually sing carols and exchange gifts. Children have another reason to be excited- legend says that at midnight on Christmas Eve, animals speak in human languages. One should be cautious, though. Many is the story of the landlord who crept into the barn to listen to his horses and cattle speak, and overheard them talking about his own death. Though they are not mentioned in the Bible, common faith has it that the ox and the donkey were the first and last at Jesus's birth- they often know more than we do.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/2126416717/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Guinness under the tree by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Guinness under the tree" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2016/2126416717_45a174652f_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents' dog, Guinness, probably has a lot to say.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>The Shepherd's Mass</b><br />
<br />
But alas, few people hear the beasts speak, for midnight is the hour when Shepherds' Mass begins. Bellies full and mouths yawning, people flock to the churches to witness Christmas Eve turning to Christmas Day. It is during that mass that they will first see the nativity scenes unveiled, with the baby Jesus in place.<br />
<br />
Each church must have a nativity scene, and while some parishes are content with the traditional figures...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3139181774/" title="Szopka by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Szopka" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3118/3139181774_7a2cbe2bf9_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
<br />
...many go out of their way to create an original and sometimes philosophical setting for the baby Jesus' arrival.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3138436890/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="361/366: Baby Jesus by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="361/366: Baby Jesus" height="427" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3227/3138436890_d3dbc4532d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Word became Body, and lived among us- the baby Jesus lies cradled in an open book at the Artists' Church.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
An unforgettable icon in Polish history, and symbol of the Church's involvment in the defeat of communism was a nativity scene where the baby Jesus was placed inside the trunk of a car. This was a reaction to the brutal murder of a Solidarity activist priest, Jerzy Popiełuszko. The Secret Service beat him to death, stuffed the body into a trunk and then dumped it in the Vistula river in October 1984. The film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Priest" target="_blank">'To Kill a Priest'</a>, starring Christopher Lambert, tells a fictionalised version of this story.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="457" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_bQIVynRQ_k/TvRvAsVJEgI/AAAAAAAAAZI/igHLUIkS3nY/s640/markiewicz_bagaznik.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo used with kind permission of the author, <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/index.html" target="_blank">Mark Carrot</a> . The car used for the nativity was of the same make<br />
and colour as the car in which Father Popiełuszko's body was transported.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was only one year old when this happened, but for many years after that, crowds would gather at Popiełuszko's old church to light candles on the anniversary. My parents would take me with them, and I remember people crying.<br />
<br />
After Midnight Mass, the family comes home. They may sleep in the next day, but Christmas Day, or as Poles like to call it, The First Day of Christmas, is usually celebrated by visiting relatives to sample leftovers from the previous night's feast. It is also the first time meat products may be eaten during the holiday, which many people look forward to. Those who did not attend Midnight Mass may spend Christmas Day strolling from church to church, taking part in Mass and visiting the nativities.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Caroling</b><br />
<br />
Carols, in Polish tradition, are not sung before Christmas, but instead all through the month of January. Think about it- carolers are not the ones who announce that Jesus will be born, but those who are passing on the joyous news that he<i> has</i> arrived!<br />
<br />
We differentiate, as in English, between Carol and Christmas Song. The first is 'Kolęda', pronounced koh-len-da, from the latin calendae which signifies the first day of the month- January, in this case, when carols were sung. The second is 'Pastorałka', pronounced pass-toh-rahw-kah, from the Polish word 'pasterz' meaning shepherd. So, shepherd's song.<br />
<br />
A kolęda will strictly tell the religious story; a pastorałka contains secular elements, and will never be sung at church during service.<br />
<br />
Here is one of the most beautiful Polish Carols, set to a polonaise tune and written in 1792. Its text is based on a juxtaposition of opposites, and often called the Great Oxymoron. The song's title is often translated as 'God is born', but the actual tense of the verb implies that God is <i>being</i> born. The miracle of the birth is supposedly occurring during the song.<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></i><br />
<br />
<dl style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.2em;"><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;">God is born, the might trembles</dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;">The Lord of the Heavens lies naked</dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;"><b>The fire stills</b>, <b>the light darkens</b></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;"><b>The infinite one has limits.</b></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;"><br /></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;"><b>Disdained, covered in glory</b></dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;"><b>Mortal everlasting</b> King</dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;">And the Word became the Body</dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;">and lived among us.</dd><dd style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 2em;"><br /></dd></dl>
<br />
Bolding mine to emphasise the paradoxical contrasts, which I included in this literal translation but which are often omitted from the lyrical English version. The performance is by the world famous folk dance and song ensemble, Mazowsze.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FEgcLdUr45c" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
In many regions, carolers will dress up as an array of characters symbolising various aspects of daily life and the Christmas story- traditionally the group might contain shepherds, kings, King Herod, an Orthodox Jew, angels, Death, various animals, a goat-like monster called the Turoń, and of course, the Star of Betlehem, carried propped up on a stick and often spinning like a pinwheel. Nowadays, especially in cities, it's rare to see such carolers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl3C59IkBfs/TvRw3pR2_SI/AAAAAAAAAZU/gTFgDgazVI8/s1600/Kole%25CC%25A8dnicy_2008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl3C59IkBfs/TvRw3pR2_SI/AAAAAAAAAZU/gTFgDgazVI8/s640/Kole%25CC%25A8dnicy_2008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group of carolers. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Fiberek.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, it's the day before Christmas Eve.<br />
I had planned to make a detailed tutorial on celebrating a Polish-style Christmas for you this year. Unfortunately I fell a little bit short! As it turned out, preparing such a celebration and documenting it at the same time is practically impossible. <br />
<br />
We didn't cover all the recipes. We didn't talk about so many things that should have been mentioned!<br />
<br />
That's okay. Christmas does come around every year, and I hope you'll join me for the next one. And don't forget, there are twelve days of holiday ahead of us.<br />
<br />
Besides, today, I still need to write about <a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-real-christmas-borscht.html"><span id="goog_1340457755"></span>how to finish your barszcz...<span id="goog_1340457756"></span></a> you're probably really worried about it by now!<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Photograph of the Popiełuszko nativity used with kind permission of the author, mr Mark Carrot. Thank you!</span><br />
<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">It can be seen here among other photographs of the mourning of father Jerzy Popiełuszko:</span><br />
<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/past_present/popieluszko/farewell_jerzy.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/past_present/popieluszko/farewell_jerzy.html</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Photo of Carolers from Wikimedia Commons</span><br />
<a href="http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Kol%C4%99dnicy_2008.JPG&filetimestamp=20100112185645"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Kol%C4%99dnicy_2008.JPG&filetimestamp=20100112185645</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on 'God is Born' carol</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B3g_si%C4%99_rodzi"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B3g_si%C4%99_rodzi</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on opłatek</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_wafer"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_wafer</span></a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-2861516115358200472011-12-23T11:19:00.001+01:002011-12-23T20:01:57.501+01:00A bit of straw for your treeWow, who'd have thought that trying to prepare for Christmas and write about it at the same time would require bending time and space?<br />
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But amidst all the madness, I managed to find a very special treat for you. My neighbour and friend, Mariza, whose family has a long-standing romance with folklore and art, agreed to help me film a quick little tutorial on how to make two traditional straw decorations.<br />
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You all probably have your Christmas trees already set up. I noticed that my American friends, for instance, put them up as early as December 1st...and get rid of them just before New Year!<br />
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This is a bit backwards, and not even according to Polish tradition- after all, those famed twelve days of Christmas start on December 25th. So there is no shame in still having your tree up in January! In Poland, that's normal, and what's more, the trees aren't usually brought into the house until a day or two before Christmas Eve.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4203078175/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="355/365: Thank goodness for snow by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="355/365: Thank goodness for snow" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2538/4203078175_d8a28c27ac_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is why I like snow- it makes bringing the tree home easier.</td></tr>
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But if you have a little time left over before the celebrations (I know I don't!) and maybe a bare patch on your tree, why not try this.<br />
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Straw and paper sculptures are a typical decoration across Polish folklore. One of the best-known forms is the elaborate 'pająk' (pronounced pah-yonk) or, literally, spider, an intricate construction meant to resemble the crystal chandeliers of upper-class houses.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/2590300042/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Folk Museum in Łęczyca by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Folk Museum in Łęczyca" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3295/2590300042_5f8621771a_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A traditional 'pająk' on display at the folk museum in Łęczyca</td></tr>
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They were made using straw, dried peas, beans, feathers, clay, and from the 19th century onwards, coloured paper and wrappers.</div>
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Don't panic- we won't be making anything as crazy as what you see in that picture. But what Mariza demonstrates in the videos below are actually basic elements which can be put together to make a larger construction. </div>
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You'll see how to make a simple chain for your tree:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557234057/" title="IMG_4379 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4379" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6557234057_26dca3d201_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then a single 'spider', with crepe paper flowers:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557207319/" title="IMG_4373 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4373" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6557207319_98f2595af4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You will need:<br />
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some straw, which you should soak for a few minutes, so that it doesn't snap and break when you cut it. <br />
Mariza often uses sheep shears, but your household scissors will do just fine. ;) You can keep the straw in the water as you work.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557142417/" title="IMG_4348 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4348" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6557142417_885e09cd09_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Don't bother with a ruler, for each individual decoration, use the first straw you cut as a guide.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557163129/" title="IMG_4358 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4358" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6557163129_b8b8bd9053_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are all the straws you need to make one element of the pająk.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557200999/" title="IMG_4371 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4371" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6557200999_91e0ca7d1a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You will use crepe paper to make the flowers...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557188097/" title="IMG_4369 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4369" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6557188097_4e50ff650e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and you'll put the whole thing together using a needle, some yarn or thick thread, and a long, thin wire with a flat hook at the end with which you will pull the yarn through the straw.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557172389/" title="IMG_4363 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4363" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6557172389_2524e09021_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can easily make that yourself.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6557153597/" title="IMG_4354 by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4354" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6557153597_0e52413124_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ready? Here are the videos.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34126358?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Music in videos are CC-licensed instrumental versions of Polish Christmas carols by <a href="http://www.jamendo.com/pl/album/102798" target="_blank">Paio</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to Mariza Nawrocka-Teodorczyk for her help :)</span><br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-92185349577423213562011-12-19T23:05:00.001+01:002011-12-20T23:46:47.032+01:00Happy Hanukah!An interim in the Christmas series: today is the first day of Hanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. As you know, for centuries, Jews were a very significant community in Poland, and it breaks my heart every time I realise how few of them are left. But Judaism is still alive in my country, as proven by the many festivals and events, and the small but faithful communities who gather for the Jewish holy days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6545426953/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hanukah in Warsaw by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Hanukah in Warsaw" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6545426953_4cdc9f57b3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rabbi Michael Schudrich lights the first candle.</td></tr>
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Today, head Rabbi for the Jewish Community in Poland, Michael Schudrich, lit the first candle on a large Hannukiyah set up on the Grzybowski square in Warsaw. The square is in a part of town that used to be populated mostly by Jews, and was closed in as the Ghetto during the war. Nearby is Próżna street, the only street in Warsaw where pre-war buildings remain on both sides, and the Nożyk synagogue- this area is nowadays the heart of Jewish activity in the capital.<br />
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As Rabbi Schudrich said, Hanukah is a commemoration of one of the first fights for religious freedom- a fight won by the Maccabees over two thousand years ago. He stated the importance of freedom, not only of religion but of expression, and recalled that Poland itself fought a similar fight only twenty two years ago.<br />
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I'd like to wish all my Jewish readers a happy Hanukah. Wesołej Chanuki! Chag Hanukah Sameach!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6545465213/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hanukah in Warsaw by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Hanukah in Warsaw" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6545465213_0d3d494b00.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Jewish Choir 'Tslil' sang a range of songs in hebrew, yiddish, and ladino</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6545472999/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hanukah in Warsaw by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Hanukah in Warsaw" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6545472999_474a9bfbfe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hannukiyah made of candles on the sidewalk.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/6545487659/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hanukah in Warsaw by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="Hanukah in Warsaw" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6545487659_67c1a748f8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A variety of people showed up. In the background, note the Palace of Science and Culture, a Warsaw landmark.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><b>Meta information:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Portal for the Jewish Community in Poland:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.jewish.org.pl/">http://www.jewish.org.pl</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Wikipedia entry on Hanukah (spelling varies):</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Official page for the Tslil Jewish Choir:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.clil.pl/enghome.html">http://www.clil.pl/enghome.html</a></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com0Plac Grzybowski, 01-001 Warsaw, Poland52.236210353688655 21.00354194641113352.234994853688654 21.001074446411131 52.237425853688656 21.006009446411134tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9415350113901562.post-50438595161314182772011-12-19T20:19:00.000+01:002011-12-19T21:34:58.579+01:00How to make Christmas Pierogis part 2<a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-christmas-pierogis-part-1.html" target="_blank">Yesterday</a>, I showed you how to make the filling. Now that it's had its time to chill in the fridge, let me tell you about the dough.<br />
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But first, some more linguistics. As I mentioned earlier, pierogi is a plural noun, so while 'pierogis' is acceptable amongst foreigners, don't be surprised if you never see the term in Poland. The singular form is pieróg, pronounced pyeah-roog. Uszka, meaning 'little ears', is the plural for uszko, pronounced, respectively: oo-shkah and oo-shkoh.<br />
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Pierogi and uszka use the same dough. It's not too terribly difficult to make, but it does dry out very quickly, so don't even think about storing it. However, once you've filled and rolled the pierogis, you can freeze them. They will keep for months.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9RSUvIkLRBM/Tu-FyP3jd5I/AAAAAAAAAY0/IuTRAslGUvw/s1600/make_dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9RSUvIkLRBM/Tu-FyP3jd5I/AAAAAAAAAY0/IuTRAslGUvw/s640/make_dough.jpg" width="383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darth Vader mug optional, but it seems to help. Click to enlarge.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Dough for Pierogis and Uszka</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">about 500 g of flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">1 egg (optional)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">1 flat teaspoon of salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">1 teaspoon of oil (canola or sunflower is good)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">about 250 ml of boiled water, or milk</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Sift the flour into a little mountain on your work surface. Make a crater for the oil (and egg, if you choose to add it). Fold and knead, carefully adding water or milk as needed. You will have to try and keep the dough springy and stretchy, but not sticky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(psst...we just tried doing it in the blender...that works too!)</span><br />
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Roll it out as flat as possible, and don't dawdle- it dries out fast. Keep any dough that you are not working with in a covered container.<br />
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If, by accident, the dough is just too dry for pierogis, don't worry. You can cut it into strips, then lay it out on a cloth to dry... and you have delicious homemade pasta!<br />
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Nothing gets wasted.<br />
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But, assuming your dough came out just right, cut circles into it with a glass. Bigger ones for pierogis, smaller ones for uszka.<br />
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Here is a helpful diagram showing the four stages of making an uszko. The third stage is pretty much where you stop to have a pieróg.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i9uhDxJxQc4/Tu-LgAvIL8I/AAAAAAAAAY8/ko-HLYm_JV4/s1600/pierogistages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i9uhDxJxQc4/Tu-LgAvIL8I/AAAAAAAAAY8/ko-HLYm_JV4/s1600/pierogistages.jpg" /></a></div>
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Still confused? Check out the video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/33906478?byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe></div>
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And that's it! Make many, lay them out on sheets, freeze immediately. When they're cold enough not to be sticky anymore, put them in plastic bags. They'll keep in the freezer for a long time- when you want to eat them, just drop them into boiling water and wait until they bob up to the surface.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/3107666185/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="348/366: Pierogis for Christmas by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="348/366: Pierogis for Christmas" height="427" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3170/3107666185_b75dff91f5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storing your pierogis. Top shelf: waiting to harden. Bottom shelf: bagged and ready.</td></tr>
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Pierogis are usually eaten by themselves, while uszka belong in your<a href="http://polandisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-real-christmas-borscht.html" target="_blank"> bowl of barszcz</a>. The picture below has it all wrong- but it was leftovers at that point and I couldn't be picky!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cefeida/4341436848/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="39/365: Red on red by Magic Madzik, on Flickr"><img alt="39/365: Red on red" height="427" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4036/4341436848_11d812c8b6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierogis in the barscz? Blasphemy! Those should be uszka. But they're the same thing, just shaped differently.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Meta information:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Music in video: <a href="http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=holiday&page=0">Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies</a> (Tchaikovsky), Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com/">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 3.0" http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/"</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286920677577162038noreply@blogger.com1