As the Paschal Triduum approaches, Kraków celebrates its unique local heritage. Easter traditions enchant with dazzling colour and fascinating history.
Celebrations of Holy Week are the most important event in the Catholic Church calendar. While we all know about the blessings of the palms on Palm Sunday and festive food on Holy Saturday before the celebratory breakfast on Easter Sunday, many other local customs have been largely forgotten, even though they were beautiful and special. “Kraków has many enthralling Easter traditions,” says Dr. Andrzej Iwo Szoka from the Intangible Heritage Interpretation Centre of Krakow, branch of the Museum of Kraków. “Some have been forgotten generations ago, like the mechanical wooden lamb figurine known as a traczyk carried by boys from home to home in Prądnik until the 19th century.” Another tradition which could make a welcome return is the custom of springtime carolling. “Children and young people, often in fancy dress, visited homes to offer their wishes for health and prosperity for the coming season,” explains Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz, Senior Curator at the Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków. “For the wishes to come true, the hosts had to make a small donation, usually of eggs. The very arrival of carollers signalled hope for happiness and prosperity in the coming agricultural season. Although some other visiting customs of Palm Sunday are long gone, the village of Bibice in the Zielonki commune still hosts an annual competition: boys wearing tall, conical hats festooned with streams of tissue paper and bearing baskets for carrying eggs use long, hammer-shaped staves to drum the rhythm of poems they recite, known as orations. The last remaining tradition of the many of Easter Monday rituals in Małopolska is the custom of boys chasing girls to soak them with water. In the past, they frequently did this while wearing long straw plaits...”
Many local traditions are kept alive and well in Kraków. Although many of the unique rituals can now only be found in photos, museum items or archival notes, the city continues hosting events commemorating past customs and local intangible heritage preserving the region’s special festive atmosphere. The Main Market Square hosts the annual Easter Fair bringing together around sixty traders. As you stroll among the colourful stalls, you’ll find seasonal decorations such as baskets, palms, candles, Easter eggs and tableware. You can also sample dishes associated with Holy Week and enjoy plenty of accompanying events. The stage presents blessings of palms and baskets of food, displays of Easter customs and tables laden with traditional, seasonal dishes. The stalls have been refreshed for this year’s fair with new gables and colours.
When we’re talking about living traditions, we mustn’t forget the Emmaus indulgence and fair. The name recalls the Biblical town visited by Jesus following his resurrection, and his encounter with two apostles who were yet to recognise him. “It’s worth mentioning that Kraków used to host two other similar events, at the intersection of today’s Św. Gertrudy and Św. Wawrzyńca streets. Like the apostles, Cracovians travelled there to their own Emmaus,” explains Dr. Andrzej Iwo Szoka. “The fete mainly sold delicacies such as iced gingerbread. By the 19th century, the indulgence turned into a major fair of children’s toys made by local artisans such as the Oproch family from Zwierzyniec. As mass-manufactured toys have been increasingly dominating the market, we have been feeling a powerful need to return to this beautiful tradition.” Emmaus is traditionally held on Easter Monday by the Norbertine Convent, and this year it will be co-organised by the Kraków Cultural Forum with Zwierzyniec House – Museum of Kraków for the first time. It means a welcome return to the beautiful, traditional atmosphere which surrounded the event over a century ago when it abounded with handmade sweets, crafted toys and Easter decorations. They had their own distinctive style, and they could certainly be described as masterpieces of folk art. Some of the most popular ones included figurines of Jewish musicians, earthenware bells, paper flowers, serviettes and Emmaus trees of life. The latter were made at the turn of the 20th century by stonemasons and carpenters during the winter months; they carved delicate miniature painted trees adorned with leaves and spring-bound birds. “The Emmaus space will become more uniform, and we will choose traders specialising in handmade wares,” promises Izabela Biniek, director of the Kraków Cultural Forum. “All exhibitors will be supplied with identical stalls and tents bearing Easter decorations. The organisers will ensure staff are at hand to make sure the event runs smoothly. The fair will be accompanied by a programme of cultural events for the first time, held at the courtyard of the Norbertine Convent at the Church of St John the Baptist and St Augustine at 88 Kościuszki Street. In the event of bad weather, the concerts will be held in the church.” The programme includes arts and crafts demonstrations, toy-making workshops, concerts and events for kids. The event culminates with the 8th Competition for Best Emmaus Tree of Life and a post-competition exhibition at Krzysztofory Palace.
The joint initiative of the Podgórze Cultural Centre and the Drużyna Wojów Wiślańskich KRAK historic re-enactment society means we have been able to explore the roots of another celebration since 2001. Dating back around a millennium, the Rękawka indulgence is celebrated on the Tuesday after Easter at the Krak Mound and it recalls Slavic funereal rites with their fires and offerings of bread, apples and eggs to spirits of ancestors. Around a thousand years ago the custom became Christianised and the format changed accordingly. However, until the late 19th century, locals engaged in folk games such as rolling bread, cakes, eggs and coins down the slope to be caught by urchins waiting at the bottom. By the early 20th century, Rękawka was surviving only as a fete. The square at the historic Church of St Benedict at the Lasota Hill filled with carousels, market stalls and fair attractions, and Cracovians flocked to the venue to buy balloons, sweets and toys. Today, locals gather at the Krak Mound to travel back in time to mediaeval settlements and to sample ancient Slavic dishes and listen to music our ancestors danced to in days gone by. Events include a spectacular re-enactment of a battle between Vistulans and foreign invaders: the two mighty armies face one another at the foot of the hill, cross swords, axes and spears and fight for glorious victory.
All the events listed here, as well as the Misteria Paschalia Festival showcasing European musical traditions of Easter from the Middle Ages to the Classicism, come together to form an extraordinary journey through our city’s thousand-year history.
