Calendar spring begins in Poland on March 21. This is a fixed date, symbolically saying goodbye to winter and welcoming the warmer months of the year. Astronomical spring is associated with the spring equinox and usually falls on March 20 or 21. From then until the summer solstice, the days in the Northern Hemisphere are longer than the nights.
This is an extremely important moment for nature, which for centuries has been associated with numerous rituals and customs practiced by people. What did people do in the past to ensure their happiness and what superstitions were associated with this period?
Welcoming spring in Polish tradition is associated with superstitions and rituals intended to ensure abundance and prosperity for the rest of the year. One of the most important customs is related to drowning an effigy symbolizing winter and evil, i.e. Marzanna. This is to ward off frost and ensure harvest.
Another form of greeting there was the so-called Gaik. This ritual is currently little known, although it has survived, for example, in Silesia. The idea is to decorate a pine or fir branch with ribbons and circle the entire village or town with it. It is accompanied by joyful singing, and the purpose is also to announce the arrival of spring.
On the first day of spring, it is worth planting a tree which, when growing, should ensure prosperity and happiness. It can also be another plant – for example, symbolizing the sun and happiness.
It’s worth putting some coins in your pocket so that you have them with you when you hear the first cuckoo calling. It’s popular ritual for wealthintended to guarantee abundance for the rest of the year.
The custom has survived to this day spring cleaningto sweep away all the troubles from your home. In this way, we throw away what is old, making room for what is new. If the day is warm, in spring it is worth opening the windows wide to chase away diseases and bad energy from the house.
In March, however, let’s not hide warm clothes yet, because the weather may not be good. When cleaning, remember to remove spiders from the house. Their liquidation portends misfortune.
Many spring superstitions involve observing the sky or the behavior of animals. A particularly happy sign is seeing the first stork in the new year. If it flies, it is an omen of a successful year, health and many successes. However, if it is in the nest or on the ground, it is a bad sign.
Particular problems were to befall those who saw the first stork of the season when it was cleaning its feathers. Good luck was announced by seeing a ladybug on the first day of spring or hearing birds singing, especially a cuckoo.
