Travel.LovePoland December 2020

www.magurskiewyprawy.pl
The custom of sharing prosphora in homes has emerged recently as
a result of the influence of Western culture. During the Christmas
season, the faithful take part in church services. Lemko and
Pogórze traditions are very similar. Hence, I have known many of
them since my childhood. We also gave a little bit of every dish to
the cows and we also used to have an axe under the Christmas Eve
table. During the supper, it was forbidden to get up from the table
or put the spoon away (because we used a spoon for each dish). We
ate and we still eat from one bowl. We always have a sour soup for
Christmas Eve and it has always been made on oat leaven. To make
leaven for such a sour soup, we need about half a kilogram of
wholemeal oat flour, which we pour over with warm, boiled water
(some people add bread crust to it). We set it aside for a few days
in a warm place. After about 2 days, it should start to bubble. Then,
we boil about 2 liters of water with a bay leaf, allspice, and of
course garlic and dried mushrooms. Then, mixed leaven is poured
through a sieve into the boiling water and here it is necessary to
watch it so that it does not bubble away from the pan. This is not a
recipe for an original kiesełyca, but for an oat sour soup
traditionally prepared in my family home. When I was a child my
mother would always say, "Like Christmas Eve, like the whole year.”
She used to repeat that we should be polite and not to disobey or
argue if we do not want to do this throughout the coming year.
This, of course, also had a purely practical advantage - peace of
mind when preparing the supper. It is a pity that with time many
traditions either disappear or lose their serious character, turning
into something funny, a reason for jokes and mockery. As for
Lemko traditions, customs and annual rites, they were cultivated
until the end of World War II. On the other hand, the subsequent
turmoil and displacement had an impact on the Lemko culture.
Today, probably some of the aforementioned customs, especially
superstitions or omens, are forgotten. Even those Lemkos who
returned to their former neighbourhood no longer subscribe to
these ancient practices. Seeing this, it is no surprise that our
traditions disappear, although we have not encountered difficulties
related to displacement or otherwise.
Katarzyna Skóra
www.magurskiewyprawy.pl
church in Berest, photoKEMSAB
church in Nowica, photo J Kadaj
62 TRAVEL.LOVEPOLAND