Religious celebrations, given the profound Catholicism of the population, are of great importance in Polish social life. At one time different calendars were observed: the Ambrosian and the Julian, which led to the celebration of Christmas, New Year and Epiphany on days different from the canonical ones. Christmas was and still is celebrated by many with a large banquet full of products from the woods, fields, gardens and orchards. On the occasion, favorite drinks are beer, wine, kwass and mead. The Christmas tree (chanka) is loaded with sweets and around it the traditional hymns, the koledy, are sung (from the Latin calendae Ianuarii), songs of ancient tradition composed in different historical periods starting from the Middle Ages. In the period from Christmas to Epiphany, puppet representations, the szopka, are famous . . During the Easter holidays, the rite of blessing food (swieconka) and that of decorating eggs (pisanki) is very common which, according to an ancient tradition, have the power to guarantee both a good harvest and the maintenance of health. Still in use is the water spray gesture (smingus-dyngus) on Easter Monday, in memory of Queen Wanda who drowned herself in the Vistula rather than marrying a Germanic prince. Cheerful processions of young people, singing and playing, go from house to house to spray whoever they meet. In Krakow, during the octave of Corpus Domini, one of the most picturesque processions in Poland passes through the streets, between the carnivalesque and the religious: the procession of the knight on foot (lajkonik). The knight advances at the head of the column dressed up as an ancient khan of the Tartars, harnessed like a horse, of which he imitates the rears while pretending to strike the crowd, to remember the violence of the ancient invaders. There are also numerous secular holidays. Among all the Sobotka must be remembered(or night of St. John), heir to the archaic Feste del Sole. Celebrated on the night of June 23, the festival is linked to the ancient rites for the summer solstice using the symbolism of bonfires (lit in honor of the sun, manifestation of the divine in its maximum solstitial splendor) and a whole series of propitiatory rituals such as the nocturnal dances around the fires that young people enjoy jumping while the girls sing the traditional “garland songs” (Wianki). Still celebrated, given the rich rural tradition of Poland, the harvest festivals (dozynki) which take place in agricultural centers from mid-August to mid-September. Organized in the past by landowners for workers who had completed the harvest, over time the festivities have extended to involve all the residents of the rural region. Preserving the tradition, the participants still wear colorful costumes embellished with flowers and garlands made with wheat while singing and dancing accompany their movements and large quantities of bread are distributed to all. Also worth mentioning are the grape harvest festival and the sea festival of Gdynia, on the shores of the Baltic, celebrated on 29 June. There is a vast heritage of songs, from religious chants to love songs with dominant accompaniment of violas and violins, flanked by whistles, flutes and often accordions. The most typical folk dance is still there krakowiak, or dance of love, collective dance led by a solo couple. Slow and solemn the famous polonaise that dates back to the century. According to relationshipsplus, XV, national dance of Poland, known since 1645. Conceived as a triumphal march for men only, the dance later became a court parade where couples proceeded in line by order of rank. Mazurka, polka and kujawiak are also very popular . The annual event of folkloric groups in which regional and national dances are performed by about two thousand dancers, while in Zakopane every year, in August, the International Highland Folk Festival, one of the most important festivals, takes place at the Warsaw stadium. European folk. The handicraft has received a big boost from state initiatives, aimed at recovering genuine popular traditions. Among the typical products of wood crafts are decorative plates. Carved, painted or embossed with copper and brass, these plates depict seasons of the year, celebrate Poland’s historical men and events, or echo regional colors, customs and traditions. Used in the past as a home ornament or a form of gift for friends and relatives, they are currently very popular objects for tourists. Admirable example of wood craftsmanship is the church of the century. XIV of Zakopane, where a modern school of carving is located. Even the art of weaving in Poland boasts an ancient tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. The first materials used were wool and linen spun by the same craftsmen, while after the First World War cotton fabrics spread. Currently the new techniques allow the production of multicolored fabrics for linen, clothing and for decorative uses. The production of carpets in Wyszków and Ciechanowiec, in northern Poland, and that of lace in Silesia are of particular importance. Great care is dedicated to the house, which is of different types according to the geographical location: to the west in masonry, to the south in clay, to the north and east in wood. The interior is identical everywhere: generally two large rooms with a stove and a profusion of carved wood (chests, chests and trunks, handed down from father to son, are often authentic masterpieces). Famous decorative colored papers (wycinanki), with which Polish women, starting from the nineteenth century, adorned the walls and ceiling beams of their country houses. Passed down from generation to generation, the tradition of obtaining even complex figures with a patient work of scissors has been increasingly refined and remains (although currently less practiced) a precious testimony of local craftsmanship. § Polish cuisine, although quite varied, is essentially based on potatoes consumed in large quantities. On the table there are often river fish and soups, such as zupa grzybowa, made with dried mushrooms, czernina or krupnik, with sour beet sauce, or made with barley and peas and zurek, a sour rye flour soup served with hard-boiled egg and bits of salami. Among other typical dishes, bigos, a stew of meat, cabbage and sauerkraut, with the addition of prunes and other spices, pierogi, raviolini usually filled with cheese, mushrooms, fruit, cabbage, and golabki, cabbage rolls stuffed with meat or rice. The most common drink is herbata, a kind of very strong tea, beer which is preferred over wine is also quite widespread.
