In the villages of the Krosno poviat (Tylawa, Barwinek, Zyndranowa), the husband holds his wife giving birth under his armpits, the "grandmother" puts something hard under her back - usually a rolled blanket - and smears her belly with salty butter. If this did not help, wool was burned next to the obstetrician, and holy water was put to the mouth. The Lemkos believed that any knots made it difficult to untie, and therefore careful care was taken that the obstetrician did not have anything tied on her. Her braids were also untangled (Komańcza). If a woman wanted a son to be born, she should hold her husband's (Tylaw's) hand during the puerperium. But it was not only the sex of the baby who was about to be born. Most of all, those present at the birth were interested in whether the baby would be born in a "cap" - a sheath made of a membrane around the head - or without it. This is important for your baby's future. According to the people's belief, an infant born "in a bonnet" will be very happy in life. In Tylawa, an infant born with teeth was considered unhappy. And in Komańcza it was believed that a newborn with teeth would become a ghost after death. After the successful delivery, the "grandmother" cut the newborn's umbilical cord and then baptized him with water. By sprinkling it with water, she made the sign of the cross over it and said: “Kreszczajet sia rab God's called Otec and Son and the World of the Spirit. Amin. " The first bath was certainly a hygienic procedure, but due to the religious content connected with it, it takes the form of a ritual. And so, money is commonly placed next to the bathtub in which the baby is to be bathed, so that it always accompanies the baby. A lit candle is placed next to it, so that the child has an open path everywhere, that it is bright and cheerful. Milk and honey were added to the bath to give it a nice skin and a sweet life. In the case of the boy, there were also tools such as an ax or a hammer, which were to influence his future skills. Kitchen utensils for the girl so that she would be a good hostess and a needle and scissors so that she could sew. In the interwar period, when rural children were given the opportunity to study, they also received a notebook and a pencil. In this way, the parents wanted to ensure good learning progress for the future student. After these activities had been performed, the child was handed over to the mother, and she now took care of him. "Grandmother" came for a few more days - during which the obstetrician had to lie down - to bathe the baby. The period from birth to church baptism is very dangerous for a child. There are various "evil powers" waiting for him, therefore certain measures must be taken to prevent their harmful activities. Thus, the obstetrician was able to hold a tiny, holy bread called "prosfor" on her breast. An effective measure was also a knife that the mother should keep under the pillow, and which, like other sharp objects, has an apotropaic meaning, sometimes instead of it or next to it, holy herb (Tylawa) was placed under the pillow. Visits of strangers during this period are undesirable. In Tylawa, there was a clear ban on allowing anyone to enter the room where the obstetrician was lying with the baby. This ban also applied to children, as they could take away the newborn's sleep. And if there were any, the hair was pulled out of his head and put into the infant's swaddles, and sleep was left. On the day of the birth of a child, the Lemkos of the Krosno poviat organize a modest snack - the so-called "honorable" - to which the father of the newborn offspring of his close neighbors invites him, and during which no one can get drunk, because the child would be a romp. Everyone who came was asked if a boy or a girl was born. If, for example, the questioned man replied that the daughter was not true, and the woman said that the son had also made a mistake, then his cap and her handkerchief were taken from him and they had to buy the taken items. In this case, the buyout was vodka.

The aforementioned measures to prevent the casting of spells could not always prevent this, because "the look of such a man could be stronger even than the holy herb" (Tylawa) and then the charms had to be undone. The Lemkos distinguish between two types of charms, light and heavy. The light ones are manifested by headache and malaise, the baby is constantly crying. In severe cases, nausea and even vomiting occur. The way of reading them, or "mitigating", depended on what the charms were. In both cases, it was necessary to go to the junction of two rivers for water. On the way, it was impossible to speak to anyone, nor could you look back. Three coals or three pieces of bread were thrown into this water with light charms, and three times three, or nine, with heavy ones. When they were thrown into the water, they counted in the reverse order: "9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1", saying "from a man, from a woman, from a virgin". It was about recognizing who the charms came from. If, for example, when pronouncing "from a woman," the bread went to the bottom and the charcoal sizzled, it meant that the charms were cast by a woman. Then the eyes, hands, veins on his arms and legs were rinsed with this water, and then he had to drink three sips of this water. At the same time, it was said: "Let it chatter, that it would propose, that there would be little power." All of this was done facing east. The rest of the water was poured through the roof to the other side, facing the front of the cottage, and the vessel was broken. This method is practiced in the entire Lemko region in this form. Only in Tylawa, instead of the commonly used coals or pieces of bread, pieces of broken river stone were thrown into the water. In Komańcza, the "charmed" was first covered with holy herb, and if that did not help, then "undoing" was used. But not only human eyes could harm a baby. Much greater misfortune was caused by demons called "mamunami" (Tylawa, Zyndranowa, Periwinkle). They were demons considered to be the penitent souls of wicked women who lived in dense forests, swamps and swamps. At night, you could hear them washing clothes for their children with tadpoles. These demons were waiting for an unattended infant to kidnap them and in their place leave theirs, which was ugly, with a large head, and even as overgrown as an animal. In order to prevent this danger, the child could not be left alone, especially when it was not yet baptized, and if it was already left, a holy bread should be placed in its swaddling cloths - "prosforka" (Tylawa). Of course, even before the act of baptism, the name of the child had to be reported to the church. Most often, the child was given the name that was on the day of his birth in the calendar. In the case of a child born out of wedlock, the priest decided the name, and he tried to make the name ugly. Of course, it depended on the priest's character. If he was good and tolerant, he would let the mother choose the baby name (Komańcza). Another, no less important issue was the right choice of godparents, called by the Lemkos "nonaszko" and "nonaszka" (Tylawa, Barwinek, Zyndranowa) or "chresnyotec" and "chresna maty" (Komańcza). Efforts were made to choose honest, good people, without addictions, enjoying respect and esteem as godparents, so that the child would also have these qualities. It was believed that the infant could become like its godparents in the future. The poor - taking advantage of the fact that refusing to ask the kumas was considered a great sin - invited the rich, believing that their child would also be rich in the future. However, one should not ask a godmother to a menstruating woman, as being unclean she could "bring" misfortune to the infant. A pregnant woman could not be a godmother either, because one of these children would die - the baptized one or the one who was to be born. A godfather should not be a man who drinks alcohol addiction, because the child would also grow up to be a bugger. If the children did not hide in the family, they died, the godparents were chosen from close relatives, usually a sister and a brother, who were the youngest children in the family or asked to be baptized for the first person they met on the way, and they bought "crucifixion" themselves. In addition to the actual godparents, kumas were also invited. In the western Lemko region, the number of kumas had to be odd. On the contrary, in the eastern Lemko region, where the number of kumas always had to be even (Tylawa - from 8 to 18, Barwinek - up to 16, Komańcza - 20).

In fact, the godparents had no obligations towards the godson. On the day of his baptism, they gave him a gift in the form of a meter or two meters of linen - it was the so-called "Kryżmo", and during their stay they made money donations on the plate, and that was actually the end of their interest in the child. However, in the event of the death of both parents of the child, the godparents took over custody of the child. It happened, though very rarely, that godparents did not forget about their godson and from time to time gave him a gift. Children, on the other hand, should respect their godparents as much as their own. As soon as they grew up, they would like to make wishes every Christmas or Easter. When they got married, it was their duty to invite them to the wedding. It often happened that the "nonascha" became a matchmaker and went to the girl's parents to negotiate the marriage, and if it was done, he was the staroste at the wedding (Barwinek, Tylawa). After deciding who would be godfather and godmother, they had to be invited. In most Lemko villages it was done by a messenger. Older man or woman, usually poor, who usually did it, and they were rewarded with money. The father of the child invited to kumas in Tylawa. The Kumas were invited three or four days before the baptism ceremony so that they could prepare the "kryżmo".
On Sunday, on the day of baptism, the kumas gathered in the apartment of the child's parents. A white T-shirt was put on a child - both a boy and a girl - and wrapped in a linen diaper, the so-called "Pelenku", and when it was cold, still in a woolen scarf and the baby dressed in this way was carried to the baptism. She took the already dressed infant in her arms by a "nonaszka" and with the rest of the kumas left the room saying: "Bereme pohanyna, a pryneseme krestyjanyna" (Tylawa, Komańcza). It happened in families where children died that they were served when they were baptized through the window instead of through the door. One had to be careful not to let a cat or a woman with empty buckets cross the road, because it was a misfortune. And when it had happened, they threw three stones ahead, "because if there is anything to be bad, let it meet the stones." (Tylawa, Periwinkle). A meeting of a woman with full buckets and a Jew was a good sign. The crying of the baby at baptism was considered a good sign, as it meant that she would hide well and have a nice voice. On the other hand, an infant who is quiet, not crying, will be sick, weak and may even die soon. - some say - he will die soon, and after baptism, they return directly to the orphanage. In Tylawa, after the ceremony in the church, everyone came to the presbytery. There was a short visit, then the kumas parted ways, and only the godparents and the kid went to his parents' house. Entering the room they said:
They took sme Żydiatka, and neseme ochreszczenoho.

In Tylawa, the baby was undressed so that it would not damage its clothes too quickly in the future, and in Komańcza they were put on a sheepskin coat to make it rich. It should be noted here that the feast was usually organized only for the first child, and only the wealthier could afford to arrange it at the baptism of each child. This party did not follow a traditional pattern, it was just a simple hospitality, and only the sung songs reminded us that it was connected with the birth of a new family member.

The songs were sometimes cheerful, playful, sometimes there was an allusion to the reason for the hospitality:

Anything

Here is a hneska hostina,

As if it wasn't

Kumowa bunk.

It caused us

Do toho and kuma.

And here is the hneska

There is such a hostine.

In order to provoke the godmother to sing, she was sung:
Any toto shrieks

Happy ne bude,

How bad the mats for him

Sleepers ne bude.

To which she sang:

Happy, merry

Toto shrieks bude,

Chot mu chresna mats

Sleepers ne bude.

And a lot had to be sung for the child to grow up well:

Sleeping kumowe,

Śpiwajte hołosno,

That our chreśnica,

If it would grow.

To provoke the child's father to bring new bottles of wine or vodka, the following people were sung:

Our kume, our kume

You will give us a lot, you will give us a lot.

I will give you fingers,

Drank that little buns.

Kume, kumedaytewyna

Budete mate for his son's rick.

Yak nedate, lemhoriłky,

Budete samydilky mate.

When the feast was over, the godfather would take the plate and give a speech about the needs of the newborn, provoking the crowd to throw money on the plate.

Wedding and wedding reception.
The family rite that is best preserved in the memory of the Lemkos is the wedding. Young people got to know each other sometimes through their parents, sometimes by themselves. The occasion for this was music, i.e. games, other weddings, or, for example, festivities organized in the post. The age of the young was varied, but they usually got married around the age of twenty. Fortune played an important role in mating marriages, only later age and beauty were taken into account. The ceremonies related to the wedding and the wedding reception can be divided into several parts. The first was matchmaking. The matchmaker could be a close friend or family member, sometimes a godfather. On Sunday or on another day off, the future youngster would go with the matchmaker to the bride's house. If the bride's side was correct, the details of the dowry, dowry and wedding were discussed over the vodka. This moment was also called the engagement - prints, engagements. After agreeing on all the details, the young themselves or their parents went to the priest to report their intention to get married, that is, to give in the announcements. There had to be three announcements, stories, and then a wedding could follow. Only after the wedding did the young one go to her husband. When the son-in-law moved into the house of the hosts, the son-in-law was then called him prystasz, it was said that someone had come there. The costumes were bought either by the young themselves or by their parents. Even before the war, traditional Lemko costumes were replaced by shop-bought clothes. Earlier than women's clothing, men's clothing began to depart. Czuha was replaced by city clothes. Women exchanged woolen panniers for fabric corsets. The last wedding in traditional costumes in Komańcza took place on November 10, 1957. A week before the wedding, guests were invited. It happened only once. The young people and the groomsmen invited the hosts from the house with the whole family. Meat from chickens, ducks, geese and pigs was prepared for food. Broth, pasta, potatoes, meat, lettuce, some sausage, giblets - brawn stuff, stuff. Tea was served with wine, vodka and Okocim beer. They were bought in a local cooperative. The wedding ceremonies began on Saturday morning at eight o'clock, separately for the bride and groom. Everyone played with their guests. During the Saturday evening, the young man and the groomsman went to the bride's house with a quilt and gave her a gift - a handkerchief, and she had an embroidered shirt. After that, they made themselves known and the young man went to his guests. On Sunday morning, a wreath for the wedding was woven from a periwinkle, flowers and ribbons. Garlic was woven into the wreath and the periwinkle leaves were smeared with honey. This was explained by the fact that honey was needed for young people to love each other and for the sweetness of their lives, while garlic was supposed to give health and protect against unclean forces. The bride was dressed up by a lane and her mother. The young wreath was then placed on the head, and the swaszki sang ritual songs, i.e. patches:
Eyes garlic solodok medok.
And in the nedil, the morning dawn,
in nedil in the morning,
Sołoneńko was buying.
How wono sia bought,
how wono sia was buying.
Ziliczok was saying ...
And it was a periwinkle for wreaths, that it washed away, so much further Ne wim. […] When they put the red wine on the molodian of the periwinkle, they were ribbons all over the back.

Before the war, young people were dressed in embroidered shirts, corsets with gills and skirts without aprons before the war: Take spidnici hoses without aprons. My mother is a little sleepy with the suits. And sestra snakes were older, yes, and I wore snakes in such spidnits, such a crusty sia called without any sponges. The groom was prepared in a similar way for the wedding - a wedding bouquet was prepared for him. Each wedding guest was also decorated with flowers and pieces of ribbon. Before going to the church, there was a blessing, separately for both young people. The mother said the prayers, after which the child kissed the parents on the knees and hands. The closest family - siblings, grandparents and godparents also participated in the blessing. In Jawornik, young people went to the church separately, each with his guests and with his orchestra. If the church was close, the processions would go on foot. As it was next, people traveled by wagon or sleigh if the wedding was held in winter. There were times when wedding guests races and joked. It often ended in a tipping over. Only the elders and the bride and groom who were held in front of the procession were serious. The procession and horses were decorated with colorful ribbons and papers. In winter, bells were attached to the sleigh. Of course, the wedding guests were always accompanied by an orchestra, without which they would not move. Although a Gypsy band was usually invited to weddings, the village had its own band. In Jawornik played Mikołaj Gray, Bazyli Karlicki, Wasyl Sawczyk, Wasyl (Iwan) Domaradz. They played bass, violin, versus violin. The guests of both young people met only near the church and went to it together. When the young met there in front of the church and he was leading them there, and the old woman from this side went where the young one, and the starost where the young one.
In Komańcza, the young people went together to the church: And on Sunday morning the young one would come to the bride and then they went to the wedding. On Sunday morning they made a wreath, because on Saturday evening she danced with her hair loose, but she did not have a wreath on her head, they did it only on Sunday. " The wedding took place at eleven o'clock. The priest came out after the young people and the wedding ceremony began. During the wedding, the young man had to make sure that in the church the bride did not kneel down or throw her skirt over his lap: And in the church, when they knelt, when the priest blessed them, there was a young one who was sly kneeling on pants or on a shoe, so that she was older, not him. This was to ensure that it would be more important in a marriage than her husband. The fading candles and the falling rain were taken for bad omen, and also when a wreath fell from the bride's head during the wedding: They said that they would have a harder life. And when the candle has gone out, it's not good. One could die sooner. It was my sister who got married and the wreath fell off her head too, and what, two weeks after the wedding, he died. And when the wreath falls when they get married and the candle goes out, it is not good either. After leaving the church, the young people were sprinkled with wheat, which was supposed to bode well for happiness and prosperity. Then the whole procession went to the house of the bride, where the groomsman made the sign of the cross on the door with the help of a sokyrka. “It had to be an elegant lap, a farmyard and a small as well as a sucker, and when he worked with it, it was tried and chrestos were at court three times.

The starost supervised the wedding. His hallmark, a symbol of power, was the marshal - a staff tipped with three balls, which the starosta tapped before each speech. He had to hold her in his hand all the time, and in case of loss, he had to buy her. The wedding feast began with a blessing played by the band before the cottage. The young people were greeted with bread and salt, then vodka, after drinking which they had to throw a glass behind themselves. After the blessing, the groomsman quickly ran home so that the bridesmaid would not have time to sit in her seat. Then the bridesmaid took the place of the best man, and she had to pay for her place: That was the trade. Every groomsman made sure that he sat down there next to the bride. And she had to kiss him and he went to his seat, and the bridesmaid sat down next to the bride. The young people sat in a central place behind the table, under the paintings. On the table in front of them, a bark was placed, which was an inseparable element of every wedding. It was a ritual bread, consisting of three breads decorated and decorated with animal and plant motifs: Only when they sat down at the table did the young people get it. It was one piece of bread, then another one that was smaller, and a third that was tall. Then there is a stick like this, this stick is dressed. Such products were [made of dough] birds, stars, something else. Well, how they greeted there, how they sat at the table, like everything, everything. It was so. Then dinner began. After dinner, the young people had to dance the first dance. After that, all the guests were dancing. They all danced in the round - oberek, polka, waltz, kolomyjka, Cossack, there were Hungarian dances - Magyar. They played until the evening, danced, visited and sang. In Komańcza and Rzepedź, a Gypsy band played at the wedding: They played here, Gypsies could play, oh, when they played it! The hosts, i.e. the groom's parents, watched over the wedding. They took one or two housewives to help. Cetnar administered vodka and drank to everyone. In Jawornik, young people received gifts. The practice of picking on a bonnet is known. Musicians like cabbage hrali zberali on the cap. They did the same as bigos and were the first to give. The grafting session took place at the young's home at twelve o'clock.

Then four women - swashkirs were singing:
Wczera was diłkom
Scythe felt heartened
Nyśki is a newista
They put on a bonnet

The young woman had her hair loose by the time she was wearing it. Now her braids were braided and Simla was pinned up, and she was wearing a bonnet. From then on, the woman could not have braids, but only wore a bonnet. During the wedding, the bonnet was decorated with gills and ribbons. During the course of the tour, the young woman was sitting on the young man's lap. In order for her to have children, especially the first boy, she had to have a small child on her lap at that time. After clinging, the young woman threw a wreath, and the paths tried to catch him. The one who caught it put it on and sang and danced with it.

The wedding guests came to greet and greet the vaccinated young. The starost invited to this activity by tapping his marshal. The bride had a basket on her lap, into which money was thrown for a new, common life for the bride and groom: Well, there were more pizzas at the wedding, as there were knots, well, the staroste of a little mace prystrojenu and that's how he was [knocking] a millet, a simple otakoho gave the name of taty, news Tats, and a little fellow and a newist, tick a covered basket [a handkerchief], and there someone would give donuts, and there they privatized with the newist, and then all of them kicked, one by one, on the table, on the table, and so asked the news of the newist. Everyone gave as much as they could, as much as they could. Many people also helped with the organization of the wedding, they brought food to be able to prepare the party: they helped, the family helped. Everyone brought it, no one collected it, only this one gave eggs, this one gave cheese ... apart from a gift, so for a wedding it was made up, it was a lot to eat. The staroste had to be able to speak, he would speak at the key moments of the wedding. On the one hand, he had to have a gift to persuade people to donate to young people. On the other hand, not only the people subjected to the ritual, but also the wedding guests, can be moved: This staroste was also there so that he had to speak well. And more than once people cried when he thanked his parents that glory, such children, such young people are already setting up a family home, that they are already independent, so sometimes it was as if it was crying. After the young people went to the young's home. They took the dowry on the cart, the young one said goodbye to her home and family, and the young one thanked for his wife. They both thanked their parents for their upbringing: And when she was young, he and she bowed to their parents and thanked them. Well, they bowed like that, and the swashkies pryśpiwwały because they started to sleep with this ceremony, such songs.
As soon as they put the young people on the cart, the swashes sang like this:

Daddy, mummy, I am your ditin,

water and perine belong to me.

Horse stand, stand in carts,

no crying will help,

my love

You gave me mats for the fox, for the dubin

that I would not go to thebes in hostyn.

I am the fox of the pearls, the dubines of the pearls,

to his mother on nu pryjdu hosts.

On the hostas nu pryjdu and the cake of prynes,

to make your mum remember you used to hot mia.

When they took the young to the young, the swashas sang:

The lichen murmured as the sia ravaged,

the divine was crying as she seemed.

No noise, you filth, and you will not break up,

cry, you divine, and don't spend your time.

The lichen hummed how high it grew,

divczyna cried as far as she wrote.

Howorył, mummy, that you will build sow,

and I told you that we were weeping budesh.

At weddings, sometimes the elders did not play at the same time as the youth. This was due to the limited space in the hustle and bustle and the necessity to carry out farm work or exchange childcare. When the young one took the young one home, the young one had to go to the well, get some water, wash, there were the elders, groomsmen, bridesmaids and guests, and she poured this water on everyone. They took the young one on a cart or a sledge and took the young one to the young one. At the same time, they made various luxuries, e.g. they knocked over carts with swashkirs and groomsmen. The procession was closed by two or three elderly people, who went with the young - kopijći and escorted her. In the morning when the bride got up, there was a habit of "checking" her: the bride stopped in the morning after this wedding and had to sweep. She had to! She had to go for water, get it, and they said it wasn't good water, unclean, she had to go again. She had to show what she wanted to do, and they looked after them, now she was cleaning the house, she was sweeping ... Here she was sweeping, and here someone went and dumped the garbage behind her. And these say - when you clean up, how rubbish is here, and they wheeled and wheeled and tormented. That was the ending. The after-session took place on Sunday. A week after the wedding. They were attended by the closest family, groomsmen, swashkirs. Even though an orchestra was playing, they didn't dance anymore. They just sang. The wedding, of course, was not organized during Lent and Advent (Fylypyłka), until the Jordan holidays. During the summer, there were no weddings during Petriłka, i.e. the two-week fast preceding the feasts of Peter and Paul. In Radoszyce there was a custom related to the re-marriage of the host after the death of his wives: When he had three wives, or when he married the fourth one, they would not let her go normally, but when he had married her through the window, they let her in, the fourth one did not die anymore. When all of them died, and then the latter died through the window, when he got married, got married, she no longer entered through the door, but through the window. In his home, as the landlord had already led to himself.

Death and funeral.
In the face of the approaching death to the dying, the family called for a priest who confessed him, gave him communion and the last anointing with holy oils. The following custom was connected with this: “And when the priest gives the last anointing to the sick, the table is laid fast, they put a glowing light on it and a bowl of spring wheat, in which also the walnut rests. The priest, having said prayers with the sick, then cracks the walnut, pours the holy oil into the shell and gives the sick the last anointing. […] The priest is taken home with the bowl of wheat ”. Only movable property was entered in the will, as the land here passed by the law of custom to the eldest son. Everyone had to have a will. I am going to quote a humorous story about a Gypsy's will. The Gypsy fell ill, he sent for the writer, the writer came with a witness, and the Gypsy ordered to save 200 Ryn in his will to each of his children - Freni, Andryjowy, Ksenia and Anci, but when the writer asked who would be paying the money and when, he answered : "Let anyone who wants to pay, I am dying, I must have a will!" .
However, death did not always come immediately. Sometimes a person died for a long time and in great torment. In order to prevent this from happening, it was necessary to abstain from crying and loud showing of sadness and regret when dying, because according to the beliefs functioning in the Lemko region, in this way it is possible to "interrupt" a peaceful dying.
As in the whole Slavic world in the Lemko region, severe disease and long death torments are interpreted as punishment for a sinful life: "Який живот - така смерть", as well as the fight of an angel and a devil for a human soul. According to traditional beliefs, severe death could result from two kinds of causes. The first reason for the difficult death was that the dying person did not regulate matters related to this life. Severe dying, according to my informants, is to prove that the dying person has something on his conscience, that human harm does not let him die. Therefore, perjury, debtors and those who unfairly slandered others died hard. The second cause of severe death, according to the faith of the people, is the activity of supernatural forces. This category includes, first of all, people who knew how to perform (magic).
However, difficult death was not limited to those who practiced black magic. It was difficult for a man who dealt with "good spells" to die. This was due to the fact that the owner of healing and magical knowledge should also have found a successor.
In the Lemko region, many different activities were undertaken to relieve the dying person, as well as to cleanse his soul of sins before the impending transition to a new form of existence. The greatest importance was attached to the fact that the dying person could confess, receive communion and receive the last rites. It was also important that he could say goodbye to his family, neighbors, friends, and above all, to his enemies and victims, whom he had to apologize for the harm he had done in order to die peacefully.
The proximity of the death that was about to take place heralded the sight of the dying ancestors, the demon of death, or saintly figures. In the moment of agony, by burning linen fibers over the dying person, the smoke was foretold about the future fate of the soul. If the smoke went up, the soul went to heaven.
In the Lemko region, human death was confirmed immediately after the cessation of vital functions with the help of a mirror. In the interwar period, death was confirmed by a body viewer appointed ex officio. He also prepared special death reports. The first steps after declaring death were to stop the clock and cover the mirrors.
The closest neighbors and the priest were informed first. The priest was usually notified by an "important" person who acted as the host in the family. She had to agree with the priest the times of individual services, as well as the amount to be paid for the "last service". After determining the amount to be paid for the funeral, the person took candlesticks (postałnyky) with candles from the church (the number of candlesticks issued by the priest was, of course, adequate to the amount set for the burial) and a cross with Christ stretched out and took them home.

The rural community was informed about the death of one of the inhabitants by a special messenger called a prosatar. He also invited people to eat after the funeral. One of the poorer members of the community usually played the role of tare millet. In addition to verbally informing about the death of one of the community members, villagers were also notified by certain audible signals. For this purpose, as in the entire Christian world, mainly church bells were used. The deceased was called in the Lemko region three times a day: in the morning, at noon and before sunset. It was believed that the soul of the deceased is among people until the church bells start ringing, and hearing their "ringing" ones, they go to the "Judgment of God". It is forgotten and very archaic to convey the message of the death of a community member through trebmita sounds. Information about death by means of a trembit can still be found in the Hutsul region. However, in ancient times it was probably found throughout the Carpathians, also in the Lemkos. Information on this method of notifying about the death of one of the villagers can be found in the memoirs of Anatol Wachnianyn, a famous Ukrainian composer, who observed this in the village of Krywe (near Cisna), on the Lemko-Boyko border:

В Кривiм, примiром, був я на "котах". З вечора дав ся чути голос трембiти. О [тець] Лев Вiйтович з Кривого (за Тiсною) пояснив менi, що трембiтою дано знак, що хтось в селi померi. Так and було.

Immediately after his death, the body was washed. During these procedures, the rule of gender compliance was not in force in the Lemko region: women were washing both women's and men's bodies, and vice versa. When preparing the body of the deceased for the final journey, it was important to maintain a serious mood and to perform these activities with the respect due to the deceased. The purpose of washing the deceased person was to deprive him of the signs of earthly life, therefore it was done as thoroughly as possible. The water used to wash the deceased was considered dangerous. When used for magical purposes, it could bring a widely understood misfortune to the family of the deceased. It had to be poured in a hard-to-reach place "so that no one would step on it", because if it were poured out at the feet, "whoever walked over it would have to fall ill later. The cloth that was used to wash the body of the deceased was thrown away, burned or buried. The same was done with the comb, with which the deceased was combed, although it was sometimes put in a coffin. Bedding or straw, on which the deceased died, were also burned, but the clothes in which he died were not burned. It was believed that this could have a negative impact on the further fate of the family. They had to be given to someone. Immediately after washing, before the body had stiffened, the deceased was dressed. For aesthetic reasons, the deceased's jaw was tied. The string used for this purpose was carefully hidden, because it, like the hangman's rope, was supposed to bring good luck. Probably until the beginning of the 19th century, in the Lemko region, as in the entire Slavic region, wrapping a corpse with a shroud made of a suitably long piece of linen or hemp was used. Such a sheet, once commonly used not only by the peasantry, for a long time served as a posthumous cover for the body of the poorer people, including grandfathers who begged. Later, a special "death shirt" was sewn for the deceased, covering the whole body from the feet to the neck. "Mortal shirts were coffin garments for the dead of both sexes and all age classes, from infants to the old." Such shirts were made of new linen cloth, with threads on which knots could not be made: "A shirt for the deceased with a neck without knots." This prohibition, known throughout the Slavic region, was associated with assigning magical strength to a knot that could "tie" someone in the family's life, for example, prevent a widow from remarrying. In the times my informants remember, the dead were dressed in coffins only in traditional folk costumes. At the same time, it had to be a festive outfit, the best one had.

Women were buried in wedding attire. They kept him in "order" - a chest which they received as dowry. If a woman did not already have a full wedding outfit, it was important that she had at least one of its elements on. Even the handkerchief that was put over her head had to be "eyepiece". Men were dressed in traditional folk costumes, rather in the "winter version" - richer cloth clothes, only a linen shirt (soroczka). The deceased was put on white, woolen, embroidered pants (hołośni) and a cloth jacket (hunia). People put on the legs. The maid and the bachelor were also dressed in traditional festive attire: a girl in a skirt (kabat), a blouse and a corset, a boy in a sorochka dress, a cloth vest (a boat) and a hołośni. If he did not have them, he was put on plain linen trousers - nohałky. The outfit was supplemented with the attributes of a young couple. The bachelor had a pirko-wedding bouquet pinned on his chest, the virgin was put on a dye-colored wreath. They were also made of wax wedding rings. Special T-shirts were sewn for small children, their feet were wrapped in onuckies made of a piece of linen cloth and they were put on hearts. The activities of washing and dressing the deceased could previously only be performed by elderly people who had already completed the reproductive and biological phase. It was due to the belief in the deadly influence of the corpse. Therefore, young people and pregnant women were not allowed to perform them. The beekeeper (regardless of age) could not dress the deceased, as it would have a detrimental effect on the bees. The deceased, dressed in festive clothes, was placed on a postely smertel - a primitive catafalque made of three or four boards placed on stools. It was placed in the middle of the room and was always oriented in such a way that the deceased was lying on its feet
towards the door. The deceased had a wooden cross with Christ spread on his chest, brought from the church. Before it was brought, a straw cross was made for the deceased. Sometimes he was also given an open prayer book with a holy picture in his hands. If the deceased was a soldier, decorations and medals received during his lifetime were placed next to him, as well as "АПШІТ" - a certificate of release from the army. On both sides of the catafalque, candlesticks with candles were placed. As a rule, four candles were lit by the deceased, two on each side, although - as Father Kolberg writes - up to ten candles were brought to the rich man from the church. A bowl of water was placed under the boards so that "the body would not deteriorate". For a similar purpose, an ax and a chain were placed under the catafalque. This is an example of giving new interpretations to already forgotten customs. In the folk tradition, iron is one of the most effective "protective materials" against demons, evil spirits and black magic. In the past, so that the deceased did not become a ghost, his heart was pierced with an iron tooth from a harrow, or a metal stud was stuck in his head. Placing an iron object under marriages is nothing but a relaxed form of this treatment. The body of the child was put on the table, believing that an innocent child would not profan the sanctity of this place: "because it's an angel yet". In traditional culture, the table was a home altar.
A dead man with a smertelnoj posteli was placed in a coffin the night before the funeral. It was common to put it in a position just before sunrise. This operation was performed by a gravedigger assisted by one of the household members. He was also obliged to take out the boards and clean the straw - the straw on which the deceased lay, for which he was paid with linen cloth (he was supposed to sweep away the straw and take out the cloth, to later burn it "where there was no wind").

The gravedigger, apart from the linen he received for his meals, was also rewarded with bread and linen. The coffins were made by a local carpenter. He took the measure of the coffin with a carpenter's subway. In Komańcza, the coffin was taken with a hazel stick. This stick was kept, believing that hitting a bad person with it would change him and make him good and righteous.
When the information about the death reached the villagers, they started visiting the deceased. According to tradition, the deceased stayed at home for three days. At that time, every member of the rural community was obliged to visit him. When he died in the morning, individual villagers visited him, as they had free time, during the day. They came to say for the soul of the deceased Otcze Nasz and to sit with him for a while. At the entrance to the room where the deceased was lying, one had to touch the stove "so that the deceased would not dream at night". There was a certain "cure" for people who were terrified of the dead. After praying for the soul of the deceased, one had to approach him, pull his finger or toe and look at him. In the Lemkos, it was customary to keep the deceased on the two nights before the burial. On the first evening, the villagers would come to "sit with the deceased" and pray for his soul. Various songs were sung at that time: devotional songs and purely funeral songs. The songs sung in front of the deceased deal primarily with the vanity of earthly life, the unnecessary accumulation of goods and the necessity to act according to the commandments. The descriptions of hell and torments they contain warn (like grandfather's songs) against sinful life and call for scrupulous fulfillment of Christian duties. On the second evening, the deceased was visited by a priest who offered Parastas - a service for the soul of the deceased. The priest was accompanied by a psalmist (żak, deak) who read the Psalter (psalter) after the service. There were a number of prohibitions related to reading the Psalter in the past. First of all, the whole Psalter had to be read without rest, it was impossible to eat or drink. While reading the Psalter, one had to put a loaf of bread, salt and garlic on the table. On the day of the funeral, the bread was taken to the church, from where the priest took it. The salt was meant to protect those who remained, as well as the deceased, who had not yet regained his form, from the influence of evil demons, for they are to "dislike salt very much." Garlic has a similar use in traditional culture. You had to sit with the deceased all the time. Older people sat until midnight, talking about the deceased and singing devotional songs, while after midnight the youth came and stayed until morning. Young people came to the so-called "cats". During the "cats", in the presence of the deceased, games were organized, the most popular of which, kept in the minds of informants to this day, was the game of dupak beings, It consisted in the fact that one of the participants of the vigil was taking his cap off his head, bending down, hiding his head in a cap, he would put his inverted hand on his buttocks, and someone from the crowd was supposed to hit him in the hand. Then the beaten were asked: Chto faded it? When he guessed the one who hit him, he took his place, when he didn't guess he was still beaten. There was also a game of "ciuciubabka". The games in "Death", "hanging", "hammering a goat" and "mill" were also known. Similar games can also be found in other Carpathian highlanders - at Bojki (Łopatky Byty, Ordynans, Medwedia Byty) and at Hucułów (Zajac, Koza, Młyn, Didy). The deceased was also invited to play. He was pulled by the hair and told to guess who tugged. In order to pass the time, cards were also played and prip-tales were told, most often about phantoms. Playing with the deceased was strongly condemned by the clergy and at the beginning of the 20th century only occurred in "darker villages".

A series of prohibitions were associated with the belief in the deadly influence of the corpse. It was impossible to engage in any field and farm work at the time when the deceased was in the village. It was believed that it would result in crop failure and plague on the farm. In the cottage where the deceased lay, the fire was extinguished, nothing was cooked, and it was also impossible to sleep in it. It was not allowed to organize any games in the whole village at that time. Those leaving for the "other world" had to be properly equipped. Putting various objects in a coffin is related to the belief in an afterlife. In the Lemkos, we can find a whole range of items that the deceased equips with. Most often, you give money to the deceased, but it is important that these are coins (klepaks) so that the deceased does not have to change them in that world. The money was put into a man's pocket, a woman whose pocket garment did not have it was put into her coat. In line with the idea that the afterlife looks like it does on earth, in the Lemko region the deceased was put in the coffin of the basic things necessary for human existence, i.e. bread and matches. In order to protect the deceased from the influence of unclean forces, he was equipped with a whole range of apotropeions. In the first place, he was given various kinds of devotional articles: a prayer book (but only if he could read) or a picture, a medal or a cross was hung around his neck on a string. The liturgical bread (dora, prosfora) and the holy herb in the church on the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary also had a protective power. When putting them in the coffin, one had to remember to remove the ears of grain from it, so that the deceased would not take the harvest with him.
In the Lemko region, the deceased are also equipped with stimulants. It is common to put a pipe and a bag of tobacco (duhan) in the coffin, nowadays cigarettes. A bottle of vodka was also put in the coffin, but only for those who abused alcohol during their lifetime. Among the items that the deceased is equipped with are everyday items. Most often these are personal items to which the deceased was attached (favorite hat, scarf, wedding ring), or without which he could not function normally in the "other world" (cane, glasses, comb, mirror, watch). Children, like adults, were equipped with money and liturgical bread. The boys had small axes (Kulaszne) made of trees. In Maniów, on the other hand, an egg was put in the coffin of little children so that they could have something to play with. According to tradition, the funeral in the Lemko region took place on the third day after death, usually in the morning. Already in the early morning, the boys (prysłużnyky) for the priest were bringing banners and a cross from their necks. The banners were placed in front of the mourning house, and the cross in the room where the deceased lay. At a predetermined hour, the priest and the deac would come to the house of mourning to say Panachyd - a prayer for the deceased. After the prayer, the clergyman sprinkled the corpse with holy water, which was a sign for the closest family that the time had come to say goodbye to the deceased. First of all, the immediate family said goodbye to the deceased - the husband or wife and children. In the eastern Lemko region, children said goodbye to their parents, kissing his legs. When saying goodbye, one had to be careful not to let a tear fall on the body, because then "the soul will be bad in the other world". At home, only the relatives said goodbye to the deceased. The rural community said goodbye to the deceased only in the church during the so-called "The last cilowani". After saying goodbye to the deceased, the coffin was closed by two men, nailing the lid with twelve nails. The immediate family could not take the coffin out of the house. It was carried out by pre-arranged persons. When the coffin was taken out, it was tapped three times against the threshold. The farewell formula was said on behalf of the deceased: Budte zdoroły! However, this farewell did not respond. This custom, according to my informants, means the last farewell of the deceased to his home and family. This was also done to prevent his return. The suicide was moved under the threshold, removing the ground from under it, or carried out through an upturned door. So that he would not come back, poppy seeds were poured behind him.

The funeral procession was as follows. A cross was carried at the front. Most often it was carried by an older, respected host. Church banners followed the cross. The priest continued, followed by a coffin. The coffin was followed by the family and everyone else who had come to the funeral. On the way, people stopped at every cross and chapel where the priest read the Gospel fragments. The coffin was carried by adult men. The exceptions were the funerals of children, young brides and grooms. If a tiny child died, the coffin was carried by girls on ribbons (pools) or on towels. If the deceased child was older, the girl's coffin was carried by boys, and the boy by girls: In the church, the coffin was placed on stools, covered with a dark cloth, and candles were lit around it. A memorial service was held. When the coffin was taken out of the church, it was knocked three times against the doorsteps. Thus, the deceased said goodbye to the temple. Then they went to the cemetery. The clergyman was saying Panachydu, after which he mentioned in a few words the person of the deceased. The coffin was lowered and the priest started "sealing the grave". While uttering the words: Peczatajet sia sej hrib to Jesus Christ's pimple, the clergyman made the sign of the cross and threw lumps of earth on each side of the coffin. It was forbidden to bury unbaptized children and suicides in the consecrated cemetery ground. For them, a place was found at the cemetery fence, or they were buried far away in the field, where its borders met. The suicides were placed in the coffin facing the ground, and all those present at the funeral were invited to eat at the deceased's house. Depending on the locality, hospitality was called: pohrebyny, czesny, hrebowyna, obid, pohrib, pochoron. In the eastern Lemko region (Komańcza), the funeral was called horiaczka. It was invited by a prosatar, the same one who had previously informed about the death. After arriving at the place, a candle was lit and prayers for the soul of the deceased were said, and then the priest blessed the prepared food. There were no special dishes prepared for this occasion. The poorer farmers offered only vodka and a slice of bread, the richer ones even offered meat stew. The first glass of vodka was put aside for the deceased:
During the obid ceremony, devotional songs were sung, but most of all, the deceased, his life, virtues, and good deeds were remembered. One should speak well of the deceased, as it was believed that the night after the funeral, the soul revolves around the house. At the end of the pohrebyn, a prayer was said again and the Visnaya Pamiat was sung. Each participant of the pohrebu received a slice of bread home. On the first night after the funeral, a plate of holy water was left on the table.

It was believed that the soul only in the morning returns to the tomb, earlier it comes to wash itself in the water left over from sins. In addition to the holy water, bread was left for the soul, a candle that was lit next to the deceased, as well as a comb and a mirror:
40 days after the funeral, a service in the church was held for the deceased and a snack was prepared for all those present. Remembering the deceased 40 days after the funeral is a reference to the Ascension of Jesus. The same was done on the anniversary of his death.

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: Mrs. Marta Graban-Butryn .