Polish customs: Marzanna

Every country has its own customs, so Poland as well. Some of them are absolutely bonkers, like this one.

Burning and drowning Marzanna
Marzanna is a Polish name for a Slavic goddess of the Pagan religion: The goddess of death, winter and nature.
This religion was forced out of Poland in the middle ages, but the ritual of Marzanna is still there. When spring starts, some people make a big straw doll.

Which they burn.

And then drown.

For what?? To chase away winter and encourage nature to blossom again.
A tad macabre isn't it? 😆

The Marzanna dolls, some are around ten meters tall, are traditionally made of straw and white canvas and decorated with colorful ribbons. Her sacrifice is subject to several rules: you can’t touch her while she is in the water (your hand would wither), you can’t look back while coming back from the river (you’d bring illnesses upon you and your relatives). The Catholic church was fighting this ritual even until the early 20th century but never succeeded in having it stopped.

Cannot wait to witness it myself really 😎

Source: culture.pl