Although the story of the Three Kings is taken from the apocryphal literature for which strict historical truth is not assured, the love and respect held for these three wise men was so strong, so universal, that the church also paid homage
to them. Wherever the initials K M B for Kaspar, Melchior and Baltazer, with a cross between them, were seen written in chalk at the top of entrance doors, it was evident to a wayfarer that a Catholic family lived there.
In areas like the mountainous regions where the priest was not able to travel, people brought chalk to church on this day to be blessed. Upon their return, they wrote the initials of the Three Kings on the door themselves, not to be disturbed until the following year. These initials written with blessed chalk, along with the palms from Palm Sunday and blessed candles from Candlemas Day, were together to be a force to avert disaster.
In remembrance of the star of Bethlehem that hung over the manger the night of the birth of Christ and led the Three Kings to the newborn King, young boys dressed as the Three Kings in long, white pants with chasubles of black paper and paper crowns on their heads. One of them carried a large homemade star on a long pole that was lit from within by a candle, so that it could be seen in the dark of night.
Their particular repertoire was to walk throughout the village singing carols. One of the carolers played a musical instrument to accompany their songs. They usually began at the manor house or church rectory and made stops at various homes. They stopped before a window and sang a carol. After obtaining permission to enter the house, the boys sang both religious and popular Christmas carols. The Three Kings day was also the traditional day to take down the Christmas Tree, which was erected and decorated on Christmas Eve.
Dozynki, harvest holiday, was traditionally celebrated at the end of the summer. The popular and colorful celebrations were held by the nobility and larger landowners — those owning large tracts of land that required hiring farmers from all around the countryside who had to be rewarded for their hard labor.
The symbol of Dozynkiwas a Wieniec, [harvest wreath] which was presented to the landowner. This large wreath was made of a mixture of wheat and rye, sometimes one or the other. These grains were considered the most important. Crafted from the most beautiful ears of grain, the Dozynkiwreath was made in the shape of a dome-shaped crown. It was decorated with flowers, ribbons, hazelnuts, and the fruit of the mountain ash tree. The conclusion of the harvest and the making of the wreath generally fell around the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin — August 15 — so that it was taken to church to be blessed.
Wearing the wreath was considered an honor. Generally, it was worn by a young girl involved in the harvesting, or someone who was considered a very good worker. The chosen girl went to church in great pomp and ceremony, wearing the wreath on her head while sitting in a wagon pulled by four horses decorated in greenery and surrounded by other young maidens wearing flowers in their hair. The group was followed by all those involved in the harvest. After the wreath was blessed the entire procession made for the manor house, singing the songs that accompanied the event were usually those that were indigenous to the area, perhaps unknown in other villages.
The entire procession of harvesters led by the best female harvester holding a wreath of stalks came before the landlord's house, the landlord, in exchange for the offered crops, welcomed them with music and he gave them a treat. The wreath, a symbol of the annual farm work, was handed to the landlord with a pathetic oration. He, in turn, thanked the harvesters in a similar way.
Sometimes he was also given a wreath and loaf of bread placed on a linen table cloth. The bread was made of new flour and that was a sign that there is and there will be enough bread until the next harvest.
Today, the giving of bread has become the climax of harvest celebrations becoming a part of all present ceremonials. .
The wreath, arriving only once a year, was cherished and given much care. It was hung in a prominent place, such as in an entrance hall, above a chest of drawers, or above the door of the main living room as a symbol of prosperity.
As summer draws to an end, the Polish Feast of Greenery takes place on September 8th. The farm people bring to church great bouquets of herbs, vegetables, and corn, interwoven with a few flowers from the fields and gardens, which are blessed by the priest. These bouquets are carried home and kept until the name day of the following year. When there is sickness in the household, the herbs are brewed and used for medicinal purposes, not only for the people, but for the livestock as well.
All Saints Day, November 1st, traditionally has been associated in Polish legend with ghosts and wayward souls. In ancient times, when death entered a peasant's house, all doors and windows were opened at the moment of passing. Mirrors were turned to the wall so that the soul would not be captured in the room. The last rite included a funeral banquet. The vigil lasted until the burial in order to protect the dead soul from evil spirits.
Later, these pagan customs were Christianized and people were encouraged to pray and light candles instead of conjuring up spirits. The candles were to symbolize the eternal light for which the soul yearns .
Today, All Saints All Souls Day is celebrated in a very solemn manner in Poland. On both days, at twilight, the Poles make pilgrimages to their local cemeteries. The people decorate the graves with chrysanthemums, asters, and autumn flowers ~ and place candles and votive lights. When the graves are decorated and countless flickering frame cast their haunting shadows amid the dusk, the mood is set for an outdoor service and prayers for departed souls.
In Poland, fortune telling sets the mood for this evening of merriment which might be the theme for an autumn social gathering. Single girls pour hot, melted wax into a bowl of cold water, and the hardened wax is then held up to the light. The shadow it casts on the wall is said to reveal the girls' marriage prospects: if its shape resembles something used by a man, she will marry within a year. The shadow may also contain a clue to who the future husband might be (traits, interests, occupation). Another traditional pastime is for the girls to toss their shoes to the middle of the floor. The first shoe to go over the threshold is that of the girl who will marry the earliest. Fortune telling, singing, and general merriment might round out this thoroughly enjoyable evening.
On that day in Poland, the youngsters are visited by Sw. Mikolaj. In Poland, Sw. Mikolaj is not an oversized man with red pompom topped cap, red Jacket, and riding boots. Instead, he is a saintly, more dignified figure, dressed in the regal purple and gold robe, wearing a cape and bishops hat, and carrying a crosier (a crooked staff, the symbol of his bishop station). He travels the countryside on foot, occasionally astride a white horse, blessing the children, and distributing goodies to well behaved children and swishes (rozgi) to the naughty. Sw. Mikolaj does not live at the North Pole, but up in Heaven.
December sixth, St. Nicholas day — Dzien Swietego Mikolaja — brought a slight reprieve to gray monotonous days, especially to children, who felt that the Christmas Gwiazdka (star) - would never come. St. Nicholas was revered because of his compassion and love for orphans whom he often visited and comforted with little gifts. His name is celebrated more in some Central European countries than is Christmas itself.
The one selected to represent St. Nicholas was usually driven in a sleigh to the homes in a Polish village. He was dressed in a long white robe, wearing a tall head piece much like a bishop's mitre, a long white flowing beard, and in his hand he held the shepherd's staff.
The sound of snow bells and horses' hoofs could be heard on the cobblestone pavement, while eager young faces with their noses pressed to the window panes shouted, "he has come! he has come!" St. Nicholas entered, filling the room with not only his presence, but with his smile, the twinkle in his eye and his teasing booming voice.
He rebuked the mischievous, praised the obedient, listening to the children recite their catechism and prayers, and passed around heart shaped Pierniki, honey cookies, holy pictures and big red apples, which he produced magically from under his cloak. In case St. Nicholas could not make the visit personally, his gifts were placed under the pillow during the night, which made children and parents sleepy the next day from waiting and watching to be sure that the children were sound asleep when St. Nicholas arrived!
Carollers' Star
Boys carrying a shining star from house to house and singing carols can be seen today in many regions of Poland: Podlasie, Mazovia, Silesia and Podhale. They express Christmas wishes often with rhymes, or they sing frivolous carols. Sometimes carollers have mascaron animals with them: a horse, a goat, a bison and birds: stork or a crane. Boys wearing masks entertain spectators with pantomime, make tricks and tease hosts. An original magic sense of this rite is expressed by a song usually sung at the end of the show. Its contents is similar in various regions.
Wreaths - Wianki
The Midsummer night (St. John's eve), celebrations are the remains of the pre-Slavonic customs and auguries surviving to this day. One of the most popular customs is girl's letting wreaths drift down a river. In the past the wreaths were made of wild thyme which, when gathered on that day, had a magic power greater than that of witches and demons, and guaranteeing love and well-being. If a girl sent one wreath down the river and it was fished out by a boy, then the fact of catching the wreath was a real indication of getting married.
The ceremony off the wreaths was in the past combined with a ritual bath in a river, and it constituted part of St. John's eve's festivities when girls danced till morning beside a saint fire made on a hill behind the village
A Fair - Jarmark - Odpust
Fairs played an important role in the monotonous life of villages. First of all, they had an economic character but they were also great events in social life and family life. Fairs were the place where the purchase of materials and suit trimmings were made and where furniture, pictures, clay utensils, spinning wheels and other articles of folk art were bought. Gewgaw and candy stalls always covered part of a fair or church fair square. Church fair stalls usually sold both candy and hand-made sugar figures of animals and birds. Round cracknels with a hole in the center were put on long pieces of string making it possible to wear them around the neck. Heart-shaped spice cakes with color icing had the inscriptions: "I LOVE YOU" or bore the most popular names. Provincial fairs still have their traditional character, but less hand-made articles are on sale there.
Although the story of the Three Kings is taken from the apocryphal literature for which strict historical truth is not assured, the love and respect held for these three wise men was so strong, so universal, that the church also paid homage 
Dozynki, harvest holiday, was traditionally celebrated at the end of the summer. The popular and colorful celebrations were held by the nobility and larger landowners — those owning large tracts of land that required hiring farmers from all around the countryside who had to be rewarded for their hard labor.
As summer draws to an end, the Polish Feast of Greenery takes place on September 8th. The farm people bring to church great bouquets of herbs, vegetables, and corn, interwoven with a few flowers from the fields and gardens, which are blessed by the priest. These bouquets are carried home and kept until the name day of the following year. When there is sickness in the household, the herbs are brewed and used for medicinal purposes, not only for the people, but for the livestock as well.
All Saints Day, November 1st, traditionally has been associated in Polish legend with ghosts and wayward souls. In ancient times, when death entered a peasant's house, all doors and windows were opened at the moment of passing. Mirrors were turned to the wall so that the soul would not be captured in the room. The last rite included a funeral banquet. The vigil lasted until the burial in order to protect the dead soul from evil spirits.
In Poland, fortune telling sets the mood for this evening of merriment which might be the theme for an autumn social gathering. Single girls pour hot, melted wax into a bowl of cold water, and the hardened wax is then held up to the light. The shadow it casts on the wall is said to reveal the girls' marriage prospects: if its shape resembles something used by a man, she will marry within a year. The shadow may also contain a clue to who the future husband might be (traits, interests, occupation). Another traditional pastime is for the girls to toss their shoes to the middle of the floor. The first shoe to go over the threshold is that of the girl who will marry the earliest. Fortune telling, singing, and general merriment might round out this thoroughly enjoyable evening.
