Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Celebrating Easter in Poland
Polska or Poland, as it is known, though geographically located in the central part of Europe, has been politically a part of the east-European communist block. I spent my Easter holidays in Krakow – the cultural capital of the country. Three months ago, I had no idea that I will be visiting Poland. But an unanticipated friendship produced through the International Sociological Association’s PhD laboratory in Nigeria made it all possible. It began during the travel in Nigeria after the conference, where two newly introduced people were strained to travel together due to the unpredictable socio-political situation and gradually became good friends. As a result of that beautiful friendship, I was invited to visit Krakow – the home town of Karolina, who I met in Nigeria.
Poland, being a catholic country, as Karolina told me, is a nice place to celebrate Easter. I planned my visit accordingly and got my flight from Malmo (Sweden) to Katowice (Krakow). I was traveling from Malmo because all the budget flights from Copenhagen were booked during the time. Traveling from Malmo was also comparatively cheaper. I thought Malmo Airport, like Copenhagen, would be besides the train station. When I got off at Malmo Central train station, I did not know that the Airport is 25 K.M away and there is also no frequent bus services. There is only a private coach, which leaves every one hour. Luckily I had some time, which gave me the opportunity to walk around Malmo city. It was a very nice city similar to Copenhagen. Finally I managed to catch my flight and arrived in Krakow.
Karolina came with her friend Agatka to receive me at the bus station in the evening at around 9 pm. It was indeed wonderful to see her there after our scary and exciting trip in Nigeria in December. Both of us could not believe that I am in Krakow. We headed to a pub. She bought me a cup of nice warm coffee that let my mild headache go away. I also met Pawel, a gentleman who, although initially looked like a rock star to me, is in reality a philosopher. His long hair and thick glasses later compelled me to revisit my first impression. I had a wonderful evening with them. A walk around the dazzling city and vibrant night life sensed magical. The time spent in Singer bar was lovely because of its nice table arrangements. Each table had an old singer sewing machine that reminded me of my village, where the tailor’s place was one of the most vibrant place during my childhood days. Anyway, it was a happy evening that made me interested in the city’s life and style.
The next day began with a smiling face. Having had our breakfast together and we went to the university, where we met Agatka and Pawel. Karolina and Agatka showed me around their department. The department looked like the old colonial houses in India – tall buildings with majestic architecture. The houses looked really beautiful. One of the interesting things is to count the number of churches in Krakow. Almost every hundred or two hundred meter you find a church. It was interesting for me to see the religious vibrancy in the city. Even the college going young people were very religious. I visited a number of churches and I liked this whole idea of celebrating festivals or being religious.
I should mention here that I am a very religious person. This also reminded me how much I miss these things in my life and how things have gradually changed in my village. When I was a kid, I longed for festivals and religious celebrations because it was fun. Community living and collective social life in my village was strong. But with the changing times, as I see now, things have changed. Religious functions and collective celebrations do not have much vibrancy in village life. Community living has given way to individualistic behaviours and practices. This is what I was explaining to a friend of mine in Belgium, when he asked me what I miss about my village.
Being religious has often been misunderstood as being fanatic or fundamentalist. However they are not the same thing. Being religious for me is to believe in God or some supernatural power or having faith – it could be any religious faith. But when you develop some rigid ethnocentric attitude and judge one’s religion as superior or inferior, it gives way to fundamentalism. Recognizing the existence of other religious faiths as equals and an attitude of syncretism can solve the religious conflicts of the world. Though I am born in a Hindu family, I enjoyed my visit to the churches during Easter. I enjoyed it because of the “sense of community” or religious faith it spreads among the people and revives the collective social memory in the age of amnesia.
I visited many places of historical and cultural importance. I went to Wawel castle that represent a symbol of Polish royal traditions and history. It was majestic in its look and had occupied a beautiful place besides the river. The main market place, the cloth hall, the town hall tower, the St. Mary’s church and many others were simply beautiful. I was amazed to see so many tourists, who added vibrancy to the city’s already busy and bustling life. The city of Krakow can not be defined in one word. It was beautiful, it was colourful, it was vibrant, and it was modern in look with a traditional soul.
I had also no idea about the difference that the so called eastern Europeans feel in their life style and moral underpinnings from the so called western Europeans. We, in India, take things for granted about the life, love, marriage and family of westerners. This was good to know how people are so strongly attached to their families and share a strong sense of belonging. I got to understand that how the simple dichotomy of west being individualistic and east being communitarian belies many aspects of social reality.
I also visited the Welizka salt mine, which was 30 minutes by bus in the south-east of Krakow. It was truly amazing to see the salt mine which had been ceaselessly operating since the Middle Ages till 1996. It took me almost one day to go around the mine underground to its various sites. Since Poland is a catholic country, you get to see a lot of churches and statues of Jesus and Mary in all places. There is a beautiful church down in the salt mine where people can also get married. A statue of Pope John Paul II is recently established there who visited the mine perhaps in 1972 before became the Pope. When I get out of the mine, I was very happy to see it snowing. I loved it. It was beautiful. The earth looked like being covered with a white blanket. Winter was back again in Europe. In the evening, Karolina and I went to her mom’s place. I met her mom and Andre (I loved Andre’s songs). They were really nice. Her mom was a beautiful lady, who was surprised to know that I am a strict vegetarian who does not even take eggs and who does not drink and smoke.
During my stay in Krakow I also visited Auschwitz. Located about 60 K.M from Krakow it remains one of the most explicit symbols of the terror and tragedy created by the Nazis during the World War II. It was the Nazi extermination camp, where almost 1.5 million people were killed. Though it was horrifying and depressing to see, it was one of the best museums that provide details about the Nazi brutality. As per the data, 430,000 Jews from Hungary, 300,000 Jews from Poland, 69,000 from France, 60,000 from the Netherlands, 55,000 from Greece, 46,000 from Czech Republic, 27,000 from Slovakia, 25,000 from Belgium, 23,000 from Austria and Germany, 10,000 from Yugoslovia, 7,500 from Italy and 690 from Norway were deported to Auschwitz (data reproduced from a picture taken at the museum).
The next day, Karolina and I came to her mom’s place to make the Easter eggs. After having breakfast, we painted the eggs and prepared a chocolate cake. I painted the egg in the form of a soccer ball, which belonged to the Karolina Company. She then prepared a basket of food representatives (one piece from each food group), which we took to the church for prayer. The priest prayed for the food and we then returned home with the basket.
Finally came the big day – the Easter. Karolina and I went to her mom’s place. Though Karolina had told me before that the Poles eat a lot during Easter, I had no idea about it. I was surprised to see the amount of and the kinds of food were placed on table for breakfast.
After wishing a very happy Easter to each other, we started our breakfast. First the food from the food representative basket that had undergone sacred prayer was served on the plates. After that we were free to eat anything from the table. I was offered to eat eggs. Since eggs represented the symbol of Easter, I thought of trying because my vegetarianism was due to personal choice and had nothing to do with religion. So I thought of trying it and also not to disappoint my lovely hosts. Andre had prepared the eggs stuffed with mixed vegetables. They really tested nice and I kept on eating more and more eggs.
Karolina and I visited the cemetery where her grand father and grand mother’s bodies were buried. The cemetery looked beautiful. Everyone had decorated their relative’s graves with colourful flowers and candles. It happened that it was also the cemetery where the Pope John Paul II’s father was buried. When he was the Pope, he used to visit to that cemetery. It was nice to see this and have a unique experience.
We then visited a church and came back home for Easter lunch. Karolina’s uncle and anti had also come. Her anti and uncle were really nice. It was lovely and wonderful experience for me for being a part of her family to celebrate Easter together and having such wonderful time with them.
I felt how and what it means to stay away from the family. But then, I guess sometimes it depends on the nature of your family. Sometimes, for some, it is perhaps better being away from rather than being with the family. Whatever it is, my visit to Poland was truly unique and memorable. I thank Karolina and our friendship for letting me experience such a beautiful aspect of Polish culture, religion and social life.
Poland, being a catholic country, as Karolina told me, is a nice place to celebrate Easter. I planned my visit accordingly and got my flight from Malmo (Sweden) to Katowice (Krakow). I was traveling from Malmo because all the budget flights from Copenhagen were booked during the time. Traveling from Malmo was also comparatively cheaper. I thought Malmo Airport, like Copenhagen, would be besides the train station. When I got off at Malmo Central train station, I did not know that the Airport is 25 K.M away and there is also no frequent bus services. There is only a private coach, which leaves every one hour. Luckily I had some time, which gave me the opportunity to walk around Malmo city. It was a very nice city similar to Copenhagen. Finally I managed to catch my flight and arrived in Krakow.
Karolina came with her friend Agatka to receive me at the bus station in the evening at around 9 pm. It was indeed wonderful to see her there after our scary and exciting trip in Nigeria in December. Both of us could not believe that I am in Krakow. We headed to a pub. She bought me a cup of nice warm coffee that let my mild headache go away. I also met Pawel, a gentleman who, although initially looked like a rock star to me, is in reality a philosopher. His long hair and thick glasses later compelled me to revisit my first impression. I had a wonderful evening with them. A walk around the dazzling city and vibrant night life sensed magical. The time spent in Singer bar was lovely because of its nice table arrangements. Each table had an old singer sewing machine that reminded me of my village, where the tailor’s place was one of the most vibrant place during my childhood days. Anyway, it was a happy evening that made me interested in the city’s life and style.
The next day began with a smiling face. Having had our breakfast together and we went to the university, where we met Agatka and Pawel. Karolina and Agatka showed me around their department. The department looked like the old colonial houses in India – tall buildings with majestic architecture. The houses looked really beautiful. One of the interesting things is to count the number of churches in Krakow. Almost every hundred or two hundred meter you find a church. It was interesting for me to see the religious vibrancy in the city. Even the college going young people were very religious. I visited a number of churches and I liked this whole idea of celebrating festivals or being religious.
I should mention here that I am a very religious person. This also reminded me how much I miss these things in my life and how things have gradually changed in my village. When I was a kid, I longed for festivals and religious celebrations because it was fun. Community living and collective social life in my village was strong. But with the changing times, as I see now, things have changed. Religious functions and collective celebrations do not have much vibrancy in village life. Community living has given way to individualistic behaviours and practices. This is what I was explaining to a friend of mine in Belgium, when he asked me what I miss about my village.
Being religious has often been misunderstood as being fanatic or fundamentalist. However they are not the same thing. Being religious for me is to believe in God or some supernatural power or having faith – it could be any religious faith. But when you develop some rigid ethnocentric attitude and judge one’s religion as superior or inferior, it gives way to fundamentalism. Recognizing the existence of other religious faiths as equals and an attitude of syncretism can solve the religious conflicts of the world. Though I am born in a Hindu family, I enjoyed my visit to the churches during Easter. I enjoyed it because of the “sense of community” or religious faith it spreads among the people and revives the collective social memory in the age of amnesia.
I visited many places of historical and cultural importance. I went to Wawel castle that represent a symbol of Polish royal traditions and history. It was majestic in its look and had occupied a beautiful place besides the river. The main market place, the cloth hall, the town hall tower, the St. Mary’s church and many others were simply beautiful. I was amazed to see so many tourists, who added vibrancy to the city’s already busy and bustling life. The city of Krakow can not be defined in one word. It was beautiful, it was colourful, it was vibrant, and it was modern in look with a traditional soul.
I had also no idea about the difference that the so called eastern Europeans feel in their life style and moral underpinnings from the so called western Europeans. We, in India, take things for granted about the life, love, marriage and family of westerners. This was good to know how people are so strongly attached to their families and share a strong sense of belonging. I got to understand that how the simple dichotomy of west being individualistic and east being communitarian belies many aspects of social reality.
I also visited the Welizka salt mine, which was 30 minutes by bus in the south-east of Krakow. It was truly amazing to see the salt mine which had been ceaselessly operating since the Middle Ages till 1996. It took me almost one day to go around the mine underground to its various sites. Since Poland is a catholic country, you get to see a lot of churches and statues of Jesus and Mary in all places. There is a beautiful church down in the salt mine where people can also get married. A statue of Pope John Paul II is recently established there who visited the mine perhaps in 1972 before became the Pope. When I get out of the mine, I was very happy to see it snowing. I loved it. It was beautiful. The earth looked like being covered with a white blanket. Winter was back again in Europe. In the evening, Karolina and I went to her mom’s place. I met her mom and Andre (I loved Andre’s songs). They were really nice. Her mom was a beautiful lady, who was surprised to know that I am a strict vegetarian who does not even take eggs and who does not drink and smoke.
During my stay in Krakow I also visited Auschwitz. Located about 60 K.M from Krakow it remains one of the most explicit symbols of the terror and tragedy created by the Nazis during the World War II. It was the Nazi extermination camp, where almost 1.5 million people were killed. Though it was horrifying and depressing to see, it was one of the best museums that provide details about the Nazi brutality. As per the data, 430,000 Jews from Hungary, 300,000 Jews from Poland, 69,000 from France, 60,000 from the Netherlands, 55,000 from Greece, 46,000 from Czech Republic, 27,000 from Slovakia, 25,000 from Belgium, 23,000 from Austria and Germany, 10,000 from Yugoslovia, 7,500 from Italy and 690 from Norway were deported to Auschwitz (data reproduced from a picture taken at the museum).
The next day, Karolina and I came to her mom’s place to make the Easter eggs. After having breakfast, we painted the eggs and prepared a chocolate cake. I painted the egg in the form of a soccer ball, which belonged to the Karolina Company. She then prepared a basket of food representatives (one piece from each food group), which we took to the church for prayer. The priest prayed for the food and we then returned home with the basket.
Finally came the big day – the Easter. Karolina and I went to her mom’s place. Though Karolina had told me before that the Poles eat a lot during Easter, I had no idea about it. I was surprised to see the amount of and the kinds of food were placed on table for breakfast.
After wishing a very happy Easter to each other, we started our breakfast. First the food from the food representative basket that had undergone sacred prayer was served on the plates. After that we were free to eat anything from the table. I was offered to eat eggs. Since eggs represented the symbol of Easter, I thought of trying because my vegetarianism was due to personal choice and had nothing to do with religion. So I thought of trying it and also not to disappoint my lovely hosts. Andre had prepared the eggs stuffed with mixed vegetables. They really tested nice and I kept on eating more and more eggs.
Karolina and I visited the cemetery where her grand father and grand mother’s bodies were buried. The cemetery looked beautiful. Everyone had decorated their relative’s graves with colourful flowers and candles. It happened that it was also the cemetery where the Pope John Paul II’s father was buried. When he was the Pope, he used to visit to that cemetery. It was nice to see this and have a unique experience.
We then visited a church and came back home for Easter lunch. Karolina’s uncle and anti had also come. Her anti and uncle were really nice. It was lovely and wonderful experience for me for being a part of her family to celebrate Easter together and having such wonderful time with them.
I felt how and what it means to stay away from the family. But then, I guess sometimes it depends on the nature of your family. Sometimes, for some, it is perhaps better being away from rather than being with the family. Whatever it is, my visit to Poland was truly unique and memorable. I thank Karolina and our friendship for letting me experience such a beautiful aspect of Polish culture, religion and social life.
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