Catholisicm and the Middle Age Imagination

Someone way back when, in Poland's olden days, thought they knew what palms were. They read in the Bible about Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem and figured that palms must have been really special and beautiful things to have been brought to welcome him. As if anyone at that time in Poland knew what palm trees really looked like... So they came up with these:



Explanation: Today my school went on a field trip to Lipnica Murowane, a town near Kraków where every year there is a famous contest for the best palma wielkanocna, or Easter palm. Most people there were walking around with palms maybe a foot or two long, but as you can see, the biggest of them reached past the treetops. Multi-colored dried leaves, crepe paper flowers, ribbons, pussywillows, other feathery plants. They are quite a sight to behold. Not to mention quite baffling as to how exactly the are supposed to resemble palms. I see elaborate brooms...

Anyway, a few other sights of note were in this little town. First we saw a 12th-century church that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. It still appears to be in great condition, but gosh does it smell old. Then we went to another church named for St. Sebastian of Lipnica, where they have a some sort of bone relic of his AND a water pump that supposedly has curing waters. I am not totally convinced of the latter because after drinking, I still have a terrible stomach ache... Next, we were waiting for the contest to begin, but of course their was first a blessing of the palms. What Palm Sunday would be complete without a some holy water being launched over a crowd.

Then, what was to be a culminating moment, the raising of an enormous palm into the air, came to a tragic end. A group of us had been watching nearly all morning as men in the trees and on the rooftops lashed ropes to the trunk of the palm and fastened them to the nearest telephone pole and houses. This palm had to be at least 20 meters tall or more. The lashing done, the men began to hoist, and just as the palm was at about 45 degrees, the top half snapped off. The whole thing had to be lowered back to the ground like a soldier laid to rest. It was so dramatic.

And that was what I woke up at 7 am on a Sunday morning for. It was nice though. Good weather, good company, a bit of sightseeing, some local food and a blessed beverage. Why not?


In case you'd like to see some more "palms," you can take a look here.

See you in a week, Rudniks!