1. Spring in Poland

2. Spring  Spring is one of the four basic season in nature. The world of plants and animals wakes up and the new life begins.  Astronomical spring begins with the vernal equinox and lasts until the summer solstice.  During the spring day is longer than night time.  Medium temperature is 5-15 O C.  Basically spring precedes winter, but between these periods is early spring.

3. The first day of spring  The beginning of the spring in Poland is 21 st March. CURIOSITY:  In 2011, the first day of spring was 21 st March.  Until 2043 the first day of spring will be celebrated 20 th March, and since 2044 the first day of spring will be 19 th or 20 th March.  Another first day of spring on 21 st March will be in 2102.  The changes are connected with the rotation of Earth’s axis.

4. Signs of spring  Hazel blooms in February. It can be found on the outskirts of the forest, the roads. In autumn nuts will be a delicacy for people and animals.  Storks come from Africa to Europe, Poland.

5. Signs of spring  Wood anemone blooms from March to April. Flowers create white carpets in the forests and cover mountains’ meadows.  Young leaves of lindens tend to be sticky. Soon they will have flowers - small but aromatic. Tea made of lindens’ flowers is tasty and healthy.

6. The first day of spring – a day off?  Students start to skip classes in the spring because of nice, sunny weather. For some of them it’s a tradition to skip classes during the first day of spiring.  In extreme cases, this absence can affect an entire class of students (usually is caused by the fear of a difficult exam) or even a few classes and the whole school.  Authorities in some schools want to ’legalize’ playing truant by organizing school events, going to the theater/cinema or going near the lake to drown Marzanna.  21 st March is known as Day of Truant in Poland.

7. Marzanna  One of the old Polish customs (described in XV century), it’s a pagan ritual of drowning Marzanna. Nowadays it takes place on 21 st March. Previously, it took place on the fourth Sunday of Lent, known as the White, Black or Deathly Sunday.

8. Appearance of Marzanna  Marzanna is a puppet made, especially for the occasion, ​​ of bunches of straw which symbolize death and stillness. Sometimes it is also made of branches or old clothes.  Marzanna wears dress and it is decorated with ribbons, beads and flowers. People (children) set Marzanna on fire, and then throw it into the nearby river or lake.  It will symbolize the end of winter and beginning of spring.

9. Why Marzanna?  Why do we call a straw effigy Marzanna? It’s connected with the Slavic goddess who symbolized the winter and death.  You can find the ritual with drowning Marzanna also in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

10. Superstition connected with drowning Marzanna  Do not touch Marzanna in the water, because then your hand can wither.  As soon as possible leave the lake/river without looking back, because you can be sick.  Be careful to not stumble and fall, because it means death next year.

11. Thank you!