Liturgia Kościoła a ludowa obrzędowość Bożego Narodzenia w opoczyńskiem

Abstract

Christmas has a significant place in liturgy of the Church and this is why the article is limited to the folk customs connected with this feast, because of the great variety of customs and rites that have originated from the mystery of God’s coming to man. The factual material contained in the article is only a fragment of the material collected by the author during his ethnographie studies of yearly folk customs conducted in the Opoczno region in the years 1980-1983 and 1990-1993 (A total of 273 days). The article consists of two paragraphs that focus on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The first paragraph presents customs, rites and beliefs connected with Christmas Eve. It is a day that is governed by tradition that sets duties and precisely defines the activities that have to be pursued. The belief prevailed among the inhabilants of the Opoczno region that one’s behavior on that day had consequences on his behavior in the coming new year (one could not sleep long, be lazy, smack his children, quand). People prepared for Christmas spiritually (taking part in retreats, receiving the sacrament of reconciliation and the Eucharist, fasting) and externally (tidying the house, that also used to be decorated with color spiders, serviettes, and curtains made of straw and tissue-paper). On Christmas Eve fasting was obligatory and meals were eaten in the morning and in the evening. Christmas Eve supper was the culmination of the day. The old Polish custom ordered beginning it at the moment the first star appeared in the sky. Its character was markedly religious. It was begun with a prayer followed by sharing wafer and exchanging wishes. In the second paragraph the author focuses on Christmas Day that was begun with participation in the Holy Mass celebrated at midnight. The day passed in the family circle. People shared their joy in Christ’s birth not only with other people but even with animals (cows and sheep were given hay with Christmas Eve wafer), bees (the bee-keeper hit the hives announcing Christ’s birth) or fruit-trees. Christmas time involves the custom of singing Christmas carols. Groups of people went from home to home offering wishes and presenting a program of singing and dialogs.