2020 Polish Easter Traditions

POLISH EASTER EGGS

It’s a very different Easter this year with the “Safer at Home” order keeping everybody at home in our state. Still, many Polish American families will follow Polish Easter traditions of which Easter egg decorating is perhaps the best known.

Traditionally, Polish Easter eggs come in three main varieties.Kraszanki are single-colored eggs made by boiling them in water with various natural ingredients (e.g. onion peels for red, red cabbage for blue, beets for pink and so on). Drapanki are created by using a sharp metal tool to scratch designs on the surface of kraszanki. Pisanki, on the other hand, have designs painted on eggshells with wax before they are dyed. There are also many other ways to decorate eggs –
as seen on the accompanying videos.
Happy Easter, Wesołych Świąt!

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WET MONDAY IN POLAND

Easter in Poland is a two-day festivity including the Wet Monday (Lany Poniedziałek in Polish), called also the Śmigus-Dyngus. Explanations of the pagan roots and regional differences abound but in general, the custom has two components. Smigus refers to people throwing water on each other, while Dyngus invokes the option to bribe (usually with decorated eggs or other Easter foods) the way out of getting wet.

In the past, the tradition was kept alive mostly in rural areas and it was boys who poured the buckets of water on girls. Nowadays, all bets are off and anybody can get wet, whether in urban or rural areas. The assortment of “water delivery tools” has also increased beyond the traditional buckets and ranges from small squirt eggs to …. fire trucks creating a lot of fun and excitement in some Polish communities.

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2020 Census and Annual Election

LAST MINUTE NEWS: WORLD ON FIRE, the new drama series premiers on PBS Masterpiece at 8pm on April 5 and runs through May 17, 2020.

The WWII drama has a strong Polish component in the story line, Polish actors in the cast and many scenes filmed in Poland. For more information and useful links, check the PHC-Madison calendar).

Official Teaser 

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  CLAIM YOUR
POLISH ANCESTRY
in the 2020 CENSUS

The 2020 Census is already underway and ALL people living in the United States are required by law to respond.

Since census questionnaire asks respondents about their ancestry, Polish Americans are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to get counted, and subsequently, to benefit from the demonstrated strength of Polish community and impact its future.

Here are some helpful points about responding to and claiming Polish roots in the 2020 Census:

• The person filling out the questionaire needs to enter “POLISH” on line 9 of the form and on line 7 of forms for every other person of Polish descent living in the household.
• April 1, 2020 is Census Day, i.e. the reference date for the 2020 Census (important in case of moving from one place to another or changing family size around this time).
• You can respond by mail, phone or online. The online questionnaire and phone service are available in Polish. Click here for sample questionnaire, important dates and information about special circumstances.
• Your information and privacy are protected based on Title 13 of the United States Code.

* Why is claiming your Polish descent
in 2020 Census so important?

Data from Census 2020 will help to adjust the boundaries of electoral districts, determine the number of seats each state has in Congress and make elected officials to take into account interests and concerns of Polish Americans as an important voting bloc. It will also determine the distribution of federal funds spent every year on hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads and various public services. On local levels, lawmakers, business owners, teachers and many organizations use census data to gear the services, products and support they provide to the specific needs of well-defined groups in local communities.

Flavor of Poland (Update 3)

If needed to print or share with others,
click here for the PDF version of this update

FLAVOR OF POLAND

► episode trailers ◄       ► recipes ◄

The airing of this culinary/travel series that began in Milwaukee viewing area on January 13, 2020 was interrupted because of PBS fundraising programs taking normal FOP programming timeslots.

The airing resumes on March 21, 2020.

Here is the schedule for weekly broadcasts through May 24, 2020:

Wrocław (episode 8)
Saturday, March 21, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, March 22, 10:00 am on WMVT

Poznań, Gniezno (episode 9)
Saturday, March 28, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, March 29, 10:00 am on WMVT

Toruń (episode 10)
Saturday, April 4, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, April 5, 10:00 am on WMVT

Kielce (episode 11)
Saturday, April 11, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, April 12, 10:00 am on WMVT

Lublin (episode 12)
Saturday, April 18, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, April 19, 10:00 am on WMVT

Zakopane (episode 13)
Saturday, May 2, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, May 3, 10:00 am on WMVT

Kraków (episode 1)
Saturday, May 9, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, May 10, 10:00 am on WMVT

Warsaw (episode 2)
Saturday, May 16, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, May 17, 10:00 am on WMVT

Rzeszów (episode 3)
Saturday, May 23, 03:30 pm on WMVS and Sunday, May 24, 10:00 am on WMVT

Check the Flavor of Poland website for episode trailers, recipes,
informational materials about all regions of Poland and more.