Day Tripping

I have a crush on Poland. It came on unexpectedly when I was walking through the park on my way home from babysitting eating an ice cream cone and watching all the kids run around with face paint and balloons. It was the rain-soaked trees, the sun through the leaves making them glow green, the smell of wet blossoms and the fact that in the middle of the largest city in Poland I can get completely lost in a park and wind up seeing peacocks. These are all specific to spring in Warsaw, you say, so what about other places in Poland?

One of the many little girls wandering around in adorable, miniature traditional Lowicz outfits.

For starters, Polish spring time has so far involved a large number of unexpected holidays. When I got back from my trip to Tbilisi last weekend, I was expressing my wish that I did not have to work a full week after an exhausting 4 day binge. My co-workers gave me strange looks and said, "You realize we don't work Thursday, right?" Say what! That's right, apparently Corpus Christi in Poland is a national holiday. A friend of mine asked if I was interested in visiting a town called Lowicz, about an hour's train ride from Warsaw. Having never heard of it before and having no idea what it would entail, I immediately jumped on board for a trip to see whatever it is that was outside of Warsaw.

This awesome lady rode up on a bicycle, and I was unfortunately not quick enough to catch it.

Little did I know, that it was actually an enormous festival day, involving an hour long church service followed by a procession of traditional Lowicz dress and a concert presenting traditional music and dance. I think the day would have been magical even if I had been prepared, but being entirely unaware only added to the wonder.

Looking sassy while carrying the largest rosary I have ever seen.

The church service itself was projected throughout the main square and church for everyone to hear. While I am neither religious nor fluent in Polish, it was still a beautiful experience. I stood there listening to them sing and chant and praise the lord while everyone from toddlers to old women were wandering around in full, colorful skirts and headdresses, riding bikes and whispering to their neighbors. Tourists wandered in and out of the crowd taking pictures, and I unluckily missed a brilliant picture involving at least 9 tourists facing different directions taking pictures in various states of kneeling, crouching and pointing.

There were too many of these banners to choose from when choosing photos, but I liked this one with the church in the background.

After the service, the men and women who were in traditional dress walked a slow circle around a city block or so. They all carried banners streaming with ribbons and moving in the wind. Every age was represented, from tiny toddlers holding onto their mother with one hand and a ribbon with the other, to old women who looked as if they'd been wearing these dresses every day through every historical event that Poland has seen. The procession was ended with who I can only assume was the bishop of the church, as he was proceeded not only by the traditionally dressed masses, but also by incense and a collection of nuns and priests.

I am not sure why they were kneeling, but every person who could understand the service (which continued while they walked) knelt at this point.

With absolutely perfect timing, we sat down in a restaurant after the procession just as the skies opened and it began to rain. We ate our pizza while watching people running for cover under awnings or pulling umbrellas from bags and pockets. Under the impression that the concert would be just that, I was surprised to find that there were also booths selling traditional items set up all around another square about 5 blocks away from the main square and church. It was a goodbye trip for my friend, so we wandered around the square buying various items that could only be found in Poland while listening to a full orchestra and choir play and sing Polish music.

The full orchestra and choir.

I was sorely tempted to buy this basket, but was not quite prepared to travel back on the train carrying it.

I was in debate about whether I wanted to stay much longer, but when the dancers took the stage I couldn't resist staying and watching. I was yet again surprised because it wasn't just Polish traditional dancing, but also various other countries. though difficult to distinguish what they were announcing in Polish, I believe some of the countries represented were Albania, Macedonia and Portugal. The reasoning behind these choices was likely explained, but I was unable to figure it out.

The first of the traditional Polish dancing. 

This was the Albanian group, I believe, though don't quote me on that.

Finally, I was exhausted from being in the sun and on my feet, so I left my two friends and caught the train back to Warsaw. What began as a quick day-trip turned into a day of discovering the beauties of traditional Poland. I plan on going back to the festival before I leave to buy some of the beautiful crafts that they had at the booths. The only thing I purchased was a wooden spoon with a happy face carved in it, as I was low on funds at the time. But, rest assured Lowicz, I will be back to visit you!