Easter intrnationally
International students spending the summer semester at the Nicolaus Copernicus University took part in a meeting bringing closer Polish traditions and rituals associated with Easter. The workshop was held at the Maria Znamierowska-Prüffer Ethnographic Museum in Toruń.
The workshop, which was prepared by the NCU Department of International Partnerships and Educational Mobility, was attended by several dozen students, including those from Italy, Uganda, Turkey, Vietnam, Romania, Japan, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Nigeria, Indonesia and Azerbaijan. The students, together with ethnologist Renata Lesner-Szwarc, viewed the folk art objects located in the open-air museum. The visitors were transported back in time to a Polish village at the turn of the 20th century and, during the walk, listened to the life of the villagers and their customs. The students learned, among other things, what a black kitchen was, what material windows were made of in the past, what dishes were served on Easter tables and why the entrances to houses were lower than today.
The subsequent events were filled with stories about the different types of palms and the customs of śmigus-dyngus (Easter Monday), as well as snacks. The students then took part in a two-hour Easter palm-making workshop. The decorations were inspired by plants found in Poland and the countries of origin of the participants. The multicoloured palms were given to the children of one of Toruń's kindergartens.