The Dolinian group was a mixed Polish-Ruthenian group, and this strongly influenced the annual rituals, which took a long time to develop, gathering elements of two interpenetrating cultures. As a result, the rites of the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic people became similar. At the beginning of the 20th century, the coexistence of both groups is visible. The close neighborhood and mixed families meant that the rituals intertwined with each other, and this was expressed in a common celebration. However, the use of two liturgical calendars - Gregorian by Catholics and Julian by Greek Catholics maintained the differences. The modern Julian calendar is delayed by 13 days compared to the Gregorian calendar, which made it possible to celebrate some church holidays twice.
In a field interview with Teresa Podolak, born in 1936 in Nowosielce, she recalls:
“There was a different custom in each village and it was handled differently. In Nowosielce it was half Lemko (Ruthenian), and we celebrated these holidays twice, we respected each other together. They respected ours, we respected them. Such habits were a bit mixed. They were such a Rus population. Many marriages have been mixed. The celebration began with Worthy Dawn. This Christmas began with Advent, of course, St. Mikołaj had such expectations, especially children, because children received sweets once a year. Then St. Lucia it was such a fortune-telling time because it was written in the days of what the weather was like from St. Lucia until Christmas. Besides, the village was very afraid of witchcraft, witches and such. They believed in various such superstitions, witchcraft. Children wrote the days in such pictures, the sun is rain, and the wind is such bent trees. And it went on like that until Christmas Eve. And then Christmas Eve. It was prepared with all its products. Nobody went to the shops then, anyway, it would be a great shame for the hostess to go buy something. She had to run all year long to have her own products for this Christmas. Szczodraki was attending Christmas Eve early in the morning. Children in the morning, when dawn came with wishes. Only boys and it was just not allowed for any woman to cross the threshold first, because it was a misfortune for the whole year. Choróbska and all that the worst could have happened when the woman first crossed the threshold. It was every housewife waiting for these Szczodrok, they also called them Połażniki. These children received in return such baked bread as the housewife baked bread for Christmas, and from these remnants were baked by generators. There was a hunger in the village and the children accepted such a generosity. Because later it is not that money is anymore. And before that, it's either sweets or fruit. There were a lot of these children, and if there were too many of the housewives, they would not let in such wishes; that there would be a heel of wheat in your wheat from the heel to the tip of your nose. And the pile of weeds was such a weed that it was so malicious that they would not let them go. Wishes were said: Fortunately for health with Christmas, whatever you may wish for, in the cowshed and in the chamber, God give. That you would grow beets like clogs, wheat like a glove, and a little bit of peas. Let you not run out of anything and bird's milk. And they still make them today. "
From the morning, preparations were made for Christmas Eve . There was supposed to be twelve dishes always, it was such a custom that it was paraked, so it was served like this: there was borscht with dumplings, dumplings, cottage or stuffed cabbage with groats, and everything was fasted in hemp oil. Everything had to be fast, no meat. Then pearl barley with mushrooms, millet with plums, beans with plums, then cucumbers (kneaded dough formed into small rolls with sweet poppy seeds) sweet nuts with honey. Some people made normal dumplings with that poppy-seed sauce instead of these dumplings. Mom made kutie sometimes because the kids liked it. And a juszka made of these different fruits. And above all, it was mushrooms that dominated. Fish like in the river someone caught and if not herring, sometimes they bought salted ones, then you soaked them and sometimes you gave them with cream onions. Besides, there weren't that many of these dishes. It was served in two bowls, so on the table everyone would get it from the plate or from this bowl. When poor people were walking and such a poor one came on that day, he stayed on Christmas Eve. It was my mother who put the pelvis into the chamber, the grandfather washed and shaved. She gave me a clean shirt, and he was already staying on Christmas Eve. This empty plate is for such poor people. Christmas Eve started with a prayer and then this garlic. It symbolized that vampires and evil spirits would not cling to us. They scared the children so that your naked people wouldn't chase you behind the barn. It had bactericidal and warding off evil spirits. And, of course, the Christmas tree was dressed up by the children. And in these old houses it was just a room and a kitchen, there was no room, people were bought, such a wanderer was hung at the ceiling and whatever the children did with tissue paper, they were such decorations. Spiders were made of straw. It was the custom of the grandfather that the farmer would bring a sheaf of grain with ears of corn before Christmas Eve and say: Fortunately for good health with Christmas, and he would bring another sheaf in the hallway, so threshing. The first one would be placed in the corner, which meant that the harvest would be all year round. And a piece of iron under the table for good health. Everyone had to step on a blade to stay healthy all year long. It was not allowed to argue, the underwear that was washed from the fence was to be picked up, because it meant that there would be a quarrel for the whole year, when such rags were hung. The room was swept as far from the doorstep as usual, but the other way round, because it was believed that on that day the ghosts of our deceased relatives came, but it is unknown where these ghosts are. In order not to sweep them out with a broom, the rubbish was collected in the opposite direction. Straw was brought to the floor and mom was throwing nuts in it and the children were looking there and there was laughter. And then, after Christmas Eve, the spoons were gathered quickly so that the cows would not stick to each other. There was hay from under the tablecloth that it augured prosperity. How thick hay means good luck and if such poor dry hay means poverty for the whole year. The girls went out the door and listened to where the dog barked, and from there the bachelor would come. The farmer carried a colorful wafer for the cattle, the horse did not receive it. After Christmas Eve, you went to relatives and so from house to house until it came to Pasterka. In Pasterka, the church was crammed against the walls. At Christmas, carol singers did not go to Stephen. It was considered such a great holiday and it was impossible to do anything at Christmas. Just enough to groom the cattle and eat what was left of Christmas Eve and rest. The tablecloth would be whitewashed on this cleaned table and the baked crust would be put on the table. It symbolized the Baby Jesus.
On St. Stephen went to church, everyone had a church, mostly oats because there was a blessing of this grain and then the grain was kept until sowing. Of course, the boys were throwing oats at the girls, hitting them in the face. Then the priest forbade it. But there were also beans and peas so that it hurt. The evening boys came to the girls because the only occasion was to meet and find a wife for some girls. So they were bringing hay and cruelly littering the whole house. If a girl took a broom and cleaned it, it means that there will be a good wife. And if not and only invited to the table, the wife will not be good, there will be no hostess. And there was an opportunity to play, of course, on the table there was something baked and the boys had vodka. Beer was usually brought by a quarter of a beer from the Zarszyn brewery. The feast sometimes lasted until the morning. Nowosielce was such a mixed town, our neighbors from Zadrożnia came to us. I was invited to Russian holidays when the Three Kings were with us. I went there to my friend and her mother went to milk the cows. And there, by the kitchen, mixed bobbins (as they were called cucumbers) in such a clay bowl were on the wardrobe and this Janka says get me a bobbin at you, mum will not scream when you take it. There was a bed with a bridgehead, I got out on this bridgehead and I took these bobs, and then the mother came and opened the door, I got scared and the whole bowl with these bobbins fell on the ground. The bowl broke, the beans broke and I ran away from this Christmas Eve. They had similar holidays, the dishes were the same, only the kutia was and besides, it was nothing else. And Christmas carols were sung. I remember the church in Nowosielce. It was made of brick and painted blue in the middle. Mom took me to Jordan once. In the river, ice was cut out and some grandmother, so old, in a sheepskin coat wrinkled at the back, and into a can of water, was scooping up and slipping, and she fell into this ice hole and melted there. The peasants ran up and pulled her out there. But customs were respected. And when our grandfather came and it was supposed to be a Russian Christmas Eve, he always told women you have to do everything because tomorrow is Ruska Wilija. And I know that my mother also went to church from time to time. During the New Year's Eve, obstetricians would also go home with their wishes. Anyway, I also went to the Christmas carol.
Before Easter, fast Ash Wednesday. Grandma warned the children, they were given a pot of black coffee, a grain of coffee and a slice of bread. And the elders had a slice of bread and a pot of water, and that was all Ash Wednesday. In the countryside, people ate at all. Cabbage, sour soup, potatoes with sour milk. On Palm Sunday, the palms made of reeds, the base and the juniper were blessed. For boys, a lot of juniper was made on such poles, and then, after the sacrifice, the boys all the way slapped the girls on their legs, they were so red. And if that was not bad, she felt so worse. You left a palm tree at home for a picture, because then when you chased cattle, you would go away with a palm tree. And food is based on a healthy throat. At Easter, meats were eaten once a year. Everyone has bred a pig, or for a company. There was a fight only on Holy Thursday, on Friday offal and smoked meats. I remember my grandfather on such phalanges, such sides, such hams, so fragrant, and here on Good Friday, our stomachs were twisted from this post. What a torment it was to see and not eat. On Easter Saturday, water and fire were blessed in the church. Grandma wiped the ash out of the kitchen and cleaned the fire from the stumps in such a metal container and the fire in the stove was set on fire so that the hens on the roof would not jump out, so that there would be no fire. And the whole water was blessed in cans, and the whole household was sprinkled, a little water was poured into the well so that it would also be holy, clean and uncontaminated. And the cattle also sprinkled themselves. And the rest of the water was left for the main Sunday and the fields were sprinkled. And before that, food was sanctified. When it was far from the church, there were designated houses where neighbors came and the priest ordained. You brought baskets of food for blessing and stripes. The whole tragedy was like a belt so grown that it was impossible to remove from the oven. As for the belt, my mother crushed it, everyone from the cottage had to leave so that no one would rush the door so that the drafts would not catch the dough, or it would not work. And as my grandmother used to say: you have to move your hand 700 times to keep it well kneaded. There was a special form for this grandmother, they made braids, such decorative ones. And she always gave a handful of raisins to make the bun better, as they say during the holiday season. When it grew, it was sometimes necessary to reflect the brick from the furnace because it did not come out. That it would not scratch and it was a fashion show, because as these neighbors asked, it was seen which one was prettier, the peasants looked which belt was very ruddy and this year will be hot, it will be a year because the belt is so burnt. And food was celebrated, there was ham, all the bacon, a bunch of sausages and cottage cheese, mother made such cottage cheese with caraway seeds, eggs, horseradish, butter, beetroots, the lamb was baked from a yeast dough mold. The priest blessed a guest in the other room. Because you can already consecrate it, my mother forbade us because when my brother bit his sausages on Easter Saturday, she told him to spit out and rinse his mouth. And we look out the window and Father Laskoś eats cold cuts and there was no Lent. And a glass of vodka and, of course, a piece of bacon or egg for the blessing, everyone brought something and was paid for the blessing. After the sacrifice, we walked around the house three times, like the hands of the clock, so that there would be a harvest, that the storms would pass us by. I dealt with this święconka and still do with me today. For Christmas the house was cleaned and people went to church no matter how much work was done.
The house was bleached, mattresses changed, with clean straw the house was so fragrant and the most I remember is the smell of scrubbed wooden floor. The garden was raking up all the whitewashed trees. How this mother managed to manage, I have no idea. Despite this work, one always went to church. And then Resurrection early in the morning. Easter breakfast with sharing the saint. Each ate a piece of the blessed egg. And there were still boiled eggs mixed with freshly grated horseradish. Mum was cutting Paske and everyone was waiting for the raisin to be there and when he found two it was a great celebration. And cold cuts you ate such a sausage that today you will not find one anymore ”. So many memories of Mrs. Podolak.
From the materials that were kept by the employees of the Folk Architecture Museum in Sanok, we learn what the celebration of religious ceremonies was like for Greek Catholics living in Doliniańskie, some Christmas customs were slightly different. It is commonly assumed that the annual ritual cycle began at the winter solstice of the sun, i.e. Christmas, known as Rizdwo. It was preceded by a four-week Advent - Rizdwiany Pist. With its advent, fun and singing ceased. In the evenings, women met around the houses to spin and pluck feathers together. In the Ruthenian ritual there was no Midnight Mass, only on Christmas morning at six o'clock. In the Eastern rite, Christmas-Rizdwa lasts three days, the first day is dedicated to Mary, the second to Stephen, and the third to John. On January 18, there was another Christmas Eve called "Szczedryj Weczer", and by Poles "lame Christmas Eve". It was the day before Jordan - the baptism of Christ in Jordan, it was also celebrated like Swiatyj Weczer. On that day, as on Christmas Eve, people would go to wash in the stream, fasting was obligatory. The same dishes were served, and garlic and proshora were shared before eating. In the morning, on Jordan's eve, the children would greet them, for which they received small rolls - chips, cakes. On Jordan's day at six o'clock there was a service in the church. After its completion, a procession with lit candles and banners, solemnly led by the clergy, went to the river. A cross-shaped hole was cut in the river, and a table was placed next to it, covered with a white cloth. The priest sanctified the water by immersing the cross and three-armed candlestick in it three times. The water in the river then became Jordanian water. The participants of the procession took it into the dishes, washed their faces, drank directly from the ice hole. After the procession, they carried water to the house to bless it and chase away the evil one. It was forbidden to wash in the river water for a week after the Jordan River. Lent, called "Wełykij Pist", was extremely austere - only oil-fried dishes were eaten, butter and cheese were avoided.
Palm Sunday, called the "Bloom of Nedila", was the introduction to the Easter rituals, it began with "Wełykij Tyżdeń". In Greek Catholics, on Easter Sunday morning, called "Woskres" from the resurrection, food was blessed in front of or in the church. There was a procession around the church. The saint was brought home and celebrated three times. The fields were walked around with a strip. The blessed salt was sprinkled under the corners "so that vermin would not come home". A week after Easter, there was Guiding Sunday - "Prowydna Nedila", especially celebrated by Greek Catholics. There were many baptisms on that day. For an Easter-like breakfast, an egg was shared and a strip was eaten. The graves of relatives were visited at the cemetery.
Pentecost, called "Rusala" by the Ruthenians - it is a celebration of spring, their main attribute was the green branch. Most often, linden branches were used to decorate the houses from the outside, while calamus was laid out inside. In the case of Greek Catholics, the fields and the cemetery were passed through a procession with a priest and church banners. The tombs were decorated with wreaths of flowers and twigs. In some villages, girls made wreaths of twigs and hung them over the doors of their houses. Shepherds organized snacks in the pastures (they ate bread with butter and cheese, sometimes sausage, and drank vodka).
The text comes from the study "INVENTORY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES OF THE BORDERLAND - THE ETHNOCARPATHIA PROJECT" realized by the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University for the District Museum in Rzeszów.
Author: Mr. Marcin Krowiak.
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