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Polish Easter traditions come alive
workshop features holiday ideas with a polish flavor
Youngstown
Polish Lenten and Easter traditions came alive during a Saturday workshop at First Presbyterian Church.
The free annual event was named “Swieconka: An Easter Traditions Workshop and Celebration.”
“The purpose of this event is to give folks an opportunity to learn more about the Polish Easter traditions and to also get their Easter supplies and Easter baskets ready,” said Lisa Lotze of North Lima, a member of Polish Youngstown, the workshop’s sponsor.
The celebration featured expert demonstrations from Lawrence Kozlowski of Pittsburgh, a well-known folklorist and author, concerning creation of pisanki (wax-decorated eggs), palmowa tkania (artfully woven palms), and wycinanki, which are paper cuttings used as spring home decorations.
Participants were invited to bring a dozen eggs and decorate them under expert guidance.
It was also an opportunity to shop for items to fill an Easter basket, such as wooden eggs, decorating kits, icons, woven palms, recipe books, decorated eggs and basket covers and even chocolate pierogi.
Also offered at the event were a traditional Polish Easter breakfast and Polish bakery items, including paczki (doughnuts), kolachi (nut rolls), babka (Easter bread) and krusciki (bow-tie cookies).
Not everyone in attendance was Polish.
Andy Anderson of Youngstown, who is of Norwegian ancestry, and his wife, Donna, whose ancestry is German, English, French and Dutch, enjoyed the celebration.
“It’s the best kielbasa I’ve ever had,” Andy Anderson said of his lunch, which also consisted of colored eggs and beets with sauerkraut. Anderson also bought a Polish cookbook at the celebration.
Donna Anderson, who was at the event for the first time, said she attended to learn egg-painting techniques from Kozlowski.
Chef Tad Siembida of Leetonia conducted a Polish cooking and baking class in the church kitchen.
Sunlight shone brightly upon the celebration through the stained-glass windows of the church’s 1889-vintage Helen Chapel.
“When we talk about traditional ethnic groups and populations of the Mahoning Valley, I think this church is kind of a representation of that,” Lotze said, referring to the flags of many nations, including Poland, which adorn the chapel.
The event at the Wick Avenue church included a one-hour children’s program, named the Polish Kids Korner, which was designed to educate children concerning Polish traditions.