Easter in Poland: Willow palms and blessed baskets

In Poland, Easter follows the Gregorian Catholic calendar.  It’s on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring.

While it’s a Christian holiday, some of the customs have roots in ancient pagan beliefs.

Nowadays, both modern and traditional families in Poland celebrate Easter, regardless of their religious views.

People start getting ready for Easter by bringing twigs and dried flowers to church.

The Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, marks Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. Since palm trees aren’t common in Poland, people bring willow branches or homemade “palms” decorated with ribbons and flowers.

On Easter Saturday, people paint boiled eggs, called pisanki. Some use kits, while others stick to the old way of using onion skins. This tradition goes back thousands of years and is seen in many Slavic countries.

Holy Saturday is also when Easter baskets are prepared. They’re lined with a white cloth and filled with Easter essentials: eggs, sausage or ham, salt, pepper, horseradish, bread, babka (a type of cake), and a lamb-shaped sugar or plastic figure. The basket is then taken to church to be blessed.

On Easter Sunday, most Poles attend an early morning church service, including a special mass and procession.

Afterwards, families come together for Easter breakfast. Before eating, they share a piece of consecrated egg and wish each other a Happy Easter, similar to sharing the Christmas wafer.

The breakfast spread is full of cold dishes, perfect for meat lovers: ham, sausage, roast meats, pate, eggs, horseradish, and bread.