The word Kwiecień comes from the verb kwiecić się (Old Slavic: *květьńь) which means 'to bloom'. As the name would suggest, Kwiecień see a great deal of flora reemerging across the Polish landscape. Though while spring may officially have started, you'll find the weather still remains a little mixed.
As the saying goes:
"Kwiecień plecień bo przeplata
trochę zimy trochę lata"
April is a plait, for it is intertwined
A little winter, a little summer
Without a doubt, the most important cultural event in Kwiecień is Wielkanoc (ENG: Easter) and, as expected, devoutly-catholic Poland gets right into it. Things kick off in the days before 'Palm Sunday' (PL: Niedziela Palmowa) with symbolic palms being sold all over the country for the devout to have blessed at their next mass. Keep in mind, however, that the Polish climate doesn't naturally support the growth of palms, and an alternative of dried woven plants and flowers are used instead. The impressive craftsmanship of these religious decorations are celebrated in numerous competitions across the country, most notably Lipnica Murowana in the country's south.
Another popular craft during Wielkanoc period is the decoration of hardboiled eggs, or pisanki. Traditional dyeing methods with beetroot, red cabbage and onion skins are particularly popular, in addition to a scratch-decoration method called drapanki.
On the Saturday before Niedziela Wielkanocna (ENG: Easter Sunday) pisanki are thrown in a basket with other food items - most notably sausage, bread, horseradish, and cake - and taken to church for a blessing. The following day, as the sun rises on Niedziela Wielkanocna, families come together for the feast, sharing food from the basket and numerous traditional dishes - żurek, makowiec, mazurek, sałatka jarzynowa and many more.
Wielkanoc doesn't end there, however. The following day is Śmigus Dyngus (known in the west as 'Wet Monday') which is dominated by public water fights and everyone being given carte blanche to drench anyone they see with water. As a foreigner, you are not exempt from this centuries-old Easter Monday tradition in Poland, so move fast if you see someone armed with a water pistol or bucket and a grin!
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