Spring in eastern Poland has a slightly different rhythm, and Easter customs in Podlasie are a fascinating blend of Catholic and Orthodox traditions that have been intertwined in these areas for centuries.
If you are looking for a place where the holidays still have a spiritual and folk dimension, not just a commercial one, this region offers an authentic experience. The eastern borderlands are a melting pot of cultures, which translates into a rich ritual life. Learn more about Easter customs in Podlasie to understand why this time is celebrated here in such a special way.
Easter in Podlasie
The key to understanding the atmosphere of the holidays in this region is multiculturalism. It often happens that the Catholic and Orthodox Easters fall on different dates, which makes the celebrations stretch out over time. Sometimes the difference is a week, sometimes even a month, but there are years when both denominations celebrate together. This affects the functioning of entire towns and villages – from shop opening hours to the ringing of church and cathedral bells.
For people coming from other parts of Poland, getting there is no longer a challenge. A car journey from Warsaw usually takes between 2 and 3 hours, depending on the chosen route (S8 or via Siedlce). It’s a distance that allows a quick change of surroundings and a move to a place where the rhythm of life is set by nature. Podlasie in spring is only just coming to life – meadows can still be marshy and mornings cool, which encourages spending time at a shared table and getting to know local traditions. Easter customs in Podlasie are closely linked to the cycle of nature, which can be seen, for example, in the choice of holiday props.
Palm Sunday
The rites begin a week before Easter. While in many regions of Poland palms are richly decorated with colorful tissue-paper flowers, here simplicity and natural materials prevail. The traditional Podlasie palm, often called the “Vilnius” palm, is slender and intricately woven from dried grasses, cereal ears and immortelle flowers. However, in older folk tradition the willow played the key role. Willow branches, symbolizing reborn life, were cut earlier and placed in water to produce catkins.
Certain Easter customs in Podlasie that have survived in the memories of the oldest inhabitants are associated with the blessing of the palm. After returning from church or cathedral, household members would lightly strike one another with the blessed branches. This was meant to ensure health and strength for the whole year. Another curiositiy, now treated with a wink, was swallowing a single willow catkin (“bazia”), which was believed to protect against sore throat. Palms were not to be thrown away – they were kept behind a holy image to protect the household from storms and misfortune.
Easter customs in Podlasie – The Paschal Triduum
Holy Week is a time of intensive preparations that in villages still retain a ritual character. Good Friday and Holy Saturday are the moments when decorated eggs are made. In this region the art of decorating eggs has reached a masterful level. The most characteristic is the batik method, involving applying wax and repeatedly dyeing the egg, and the engraving technique (skrobanki), where precise patterns are scratched into a dyed shell. Around Lipsk or Siemiatycze you can meet folk artists who can conjure intricate plant and geometric motifs on eggs.
Food blessing takes place on Holy Saturday. Easter baskets, used by both Catholics and Orthodox, contain bread, salt, eggs, cold cuts and horseradish. An interesting element, less common in other regions, is the presence of small candles stuck into the bread or held in the hand during the ritual.
The night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday in the Orthodox tradition has a remarkable setting. The faithful gather in cathedrals for the Paschal matins. Characteristic of rural areas are bonfires lit near churches or in cemeteries. The fire is meant to symbolize vigil and to warm those awaiting the Resurrection. These nocturnal Easter customs in Podlasie create an atmosphere of concentration that is hard to compare with anything else.
Easter customs in Podlasie – Easter Sunday and Monday
Easter Sunday begins with a solemn procession (resurrection procession) and mass, followed by a family breakfast. On the table, alongside żurek or borscht, meat dishes reign – roasted hams, homemade sausages and pâtés. Beet horseradish (ćwikła) is indispensable. However, the true highlight of the Podlasie table, especially in Orthodox households (though this custom is also spreading to Catholic families), is pascha. It is a dessert made from rich curd cheese, beaten with butter, egg yolks, sugar and dried fruits, symbolizing the richness and sweetness of the Kingdom of Heaven. Another regional baked good is sękacz and yeast-based Easter cakes.
At the table people keep the tradition of “wybitki” – a game consisting of tapping decorated eggs together. The winner is the one whose egg remains intact. This is only a prelude to another outdoor pastime. In many Podlasie villages customs connected with “wałkonka” or “egg rolling” are still alive. The game consists of rolling decorated eggs down a sloping trough (made of earth or bark) so as to hit an opponent’s egg lying on the grass. If you hit it, you take the egg as a prize. It’s a simple amusement that brings whole families together outdoors.
Easter Monday is, of course, Śmigus-Dyngus (Wet Monday). In the past, Podlasie also had the custom of “wołoczebne,” that is going from house to house with songs wishing the hosts well, in exchange for gifts (mainly eggs and sausage). Today this element of folklore is rarer, mainly performed by folk ensembles, but the memory of it is still alive.
Enklawa Białowieska Forest & SPA – a base for excursions
If you want to combine learning about local traditions with freedom from household duties, an interesting option is spending this time at a facility that prepares a ready program of stay. Enklawa Białowieska Forest & SPA in Nieznany Bór offers an Easter package that relieves guests of the burden of cooking while allowing them to feel the region’s atmosphere.
A key point of the program, referring to Podlasie’s closeness to nature, is an outdoor dinner on Easter Sunday. Instead of sitting only at the table, guests take part in a bonfire with sausage roasting and a tasting of roasted wild boar, lamb or kid. This directly references the forest character of the region’s cuisine. The Easter breakfasts themselves also abound in local accents – game meat, mushrooms from the forest and, of course, eggs in various forms appear on the table.
The schedule also includes attractions for the youngest, which are a modern interpretation of holiday games – organized egg and bunny hunts and a piñata breaking. Adults can use the Forest SPA at that time. Although the bio-pool at this time of year is mainly used for cold-water plunges (for the brave), warming up in a tub or a dry sauna after a walk is the perfect complement to holiday relaxation.
Easter customs in Podlasie – summary
A visit to this region during the holiday season is an opportunity to see a different Poland, more rooted in the past and respectful of local identity. Easter customs in Podlasie are not a museum exhibit staged for tourists – they are a living social fabric where faith mixes with folk fun, and fasting with abundant feasting. It is worth coming here to slow down, try pascha, play walatka and listen to the ringing of bells carrying across the forest.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are Orthodox and Catholic Easters in Podlasie always on different dates?
Not always. These dates are determined according to different calendars (Gregorian and Julian). Every few years the holidays coincide, but more often they are separated by anything from a week to as much as five weeks.
2. What is pascha?
Pascha is a traditional Easter dish, particularly popular in Orthodox cuisine and in the Borderlands. It is a dessert made from curd cheese, butter, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and a large amount of dried fruit, formed into the shape of a truncated pyramid.
3. How does the egg-rolling game work?
The game, also called walatka or wałkonka, involves rolling decorated eggs down a sloping trough. The aim is to roll an egg so that it strikes an opponent’s decorated egg lying at the bottom. The winner takes the struck egg.
4. What are typical Podlasie decorated eggs?
Two techniques dominate in Podlasie: batik eggs (a pattern painted with wax and then the egg is dyed) and skrobanki (patterns scratched into an already dyed shell with a sharp tool).
5. Is Podlasie a good destination for Easter with children?
Yes, because of its closeness to nature, the opportunity to show children other traditions (e.g. decorating eggs, egg rolling) and the availability of space for walks in the Białowieża Forest.
