Wedding Newspaper - Michalina & François

DEAR GUESTS!

They say love is most beautiful when it can be shared. That’s why we decided to share it with you on this day. Thank you for accepting our invitation and for showing up here in such great numbers to join us in celebration of the ceremony of our mariage. We appreciate how many miles, kilometers, seas and oceans you have traveled to be here today. Thank you! We hope that this day will go down in the pages of our history as a great memory. Have a fantastic party until dawn!

Michalina & François

They fell in

love

and are getting married today! The places they take their guests to have stories as unique as the one they write. It’s time to get to know them!

THE CITY OF KALISZ

This is where the bride was born and raised. It is one of the oldest cities in Poland, situated on the route of the ancient Amber Road, which connected the Mediterranean countries with the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. Situated in the picturesque valley of the Prosna River, it has enchanted visitors for centuries. It is also known as the city of bridges, as there are around 40 of them in total. It is in the area of today’s Kalisz that the oldest traces of settlements have been found, dating back to 8300 B.C. – the Stone Age. It is also the cradle of the

early medieval castle town of Zawodzie, now an Archaeological Reserve, which takes visitors back to the Middle Ages during cyclical events such as the Archaeological Fair (in July) and the Piast Festival (in August). Historians still debate whether Kalisz should be considered the cradle of the Piast dynasty. Kalisz was first mentioned in the time of Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek scholar who included the name Kalisia in his Second Book of Geography – a name later referred to by Jan Długosz, the most famous Polish chronicler.

THE SA n CTUARY OF ST. JOSEPH I n KALISZ

One of the highlights of the Kalisz landscape is the National Sanctuary of St. Joseph, also known as the Basilica of St. Joseph. It was within the walls of this shrine that Michalina and François decided to say “I do”. The history of this place dates back to the turn of the 13th century, when a parish was established here and a Gothic brick church was built to replace the wooden structure – unfortunately, it only survived for four centuries, as much of the wall was destroyed in a construction disaster in 1783. Thanks

to the efforts of the parish priest at the time, Father Stanisław Kłossowski, the temple was rebuilt – the remains of the original building include the late Gothic stellar vault of the chancel. Today, the Sanctuary of St. Joseph in Kalisz is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year, who come to see the miraculous painting of the Holy Family. Its cult, dating back to the late 18th century, is linked to numerous miracles that occurred through its mediation, including the rescue of priests from the Dachau concentration camp.

TŁOKINIA PALACE

From the Basilica we continue to the neoclassical Tłokinia Palace. This is a former aristocratic residence from the early 20th century, hidden in an oldgrowth park with 250-year-old oak trees – that was what captivated the bride and groom when they chose the venue for their wedding reception. The palace was built between 1915 and 1918 by the family of Zofia and Ignacy Chrystowski to the design of Roger Sławski, a prominent Polish architect from Wielkopolska. The palace remained in their hands until the beginning of the Second World War, when the estate was taken over by the Nazis. Shortly after the war, in the 1950s, an orphanage for the children of Warsaw was opened here, run by Father Wawrowski. In later

years it became the seat of the State Forestry and also housed a kindergarten, before finally being taken over by the Polish Federation of Engineering Associations (NOT) in 1976. The plan was to create a unique training and conference centre for engineers and technicians, but plans changed and a few years later a restaurant was opened in the palace, which enjoyed great popularity until the 1990s, when the facility was closed. After many years and a thorough revitalisation under the care of the heritage conservator, the building flourished again under the name of Tłokinia Palace. Since 2012, it has been possible to visit the interiors of the palace and discover their unique history.

Michalina

This is the name that the bride was given after her great-grandmother. It is the female equivalent of the name Michał. It has been given in this form in Poland since at least 1744 – although it appeared in the Middle Ages, still in its Latin sound. It comes from the Hebrew word mikha’el, meaning ‘who is like God?’. The divine references are no coincidence, as we have two blessed women with this name. Women named Michalina have the soul of an artist, they are seductive, charming and mysterious. Their kindness is a magnet for men.

François

It is the equivalent of the Polish Franciszek and one of the most popular French male names. This is not surprising, as it actually has its roots in medieval France – it was used as a nickname for people from Franconia (a region of modern-day Germany). It later became popular with rulers and bishops. The most popular person with this name is, of course, St. Francis of Assisi – founder of the Franciscan order, patron saint of animals and ecologists. Men with this name are brave, loyal and love nature.

On w EDD in G SU p ERST i T i O n S

A superstition says that a day before the wedding, the bride should place her wedding shoes on a windowsill – it’s all about giving luck a chance to find its way into them. On the wedding day, to ensure prosperity in marriage, the bride should place a penny in her shoe. The groom cannot see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony! This does not bode well for the future marriage. And if it so happens that something rips or tears in the dress during the fitting, superstitions say it’s forbidden to stitch it – as it brings bad luck and tears in marriage. While in her full wedding attire, the bride shouldn’t also look at herself in the mirror. When the couple leaves the home for church, they cannot return. If they forget something, they should ask their relative to get it. As superstition says, stopping and turning back on the way to the wedding will bring bad luck in marriage. Long stops on the way there are also not recommended – so that there won’t

be any breaks in marital love in the future.

Weather on the wedding day is also important, though we have no control over it.

Sunny weather is considered a good sign for the newlyweds. While heavy rain usually means quite the opposite for the couple, a drizzle has a slightly different meaning – those who believe in God view it as a sign of God’s blessing for the newlyweds.

Is it okay to shed a tear during the wedding? Superstition says that the bride and groom should joyfully walk down the aisle; if they are moved to tears or cry some tears of joy, these can bring only luck for their future journey.

When it comes to the behavior at church, superstition says that whoever places their hand on top when a priest covers the hands with stole has a higher chance to have more power in marriage. The power lies also with the spouse who ends up with a glass of vodka, not water, during the welcome at the wedding venue. Marital finances, on the other hand,

POLISH WEDDING TRADITIONS

BLESSING

The children’s departure from the family nest is sealed with an official blessing by their mothers and fathers, at the request of the newlyweds. In some regions, they kneel at this moment on a sheet which, according to custom, will be used on the wedding night.

WYKUPINY

It is sometimes the case that the groom has to buy his future wife out of the family home by putting money, sweets or vodka into the hands of her parents or bridesmaids. In some regions of Poland, the groom has to place a bottle of vodka on every corner of the table; in other places, a traditional bargaining ensues. This is, of course, a symbolic way of showing how much the bride is worth to her husband.

WYPROWADZINY

The wykupiny ceremony ends with the bride and groom being led out by an orchestra. The band often accompanies them from the moment the groom arrives at the bride’s house, playing accordions and singing successive rhymes of folk songs. All this makes the moment when the bride and groom leave the house extremely vivid and marks the beginning of the wedding celebrations.

WEDDING GATES

The road to marriage is not easy – which is to be highlighted by the traditional wedding gates. The bride and groom have to cross them on their way to the church, paying for their passage with an appropriate amount of vodka. In the past, they were made of strings, colored tissue paper and flowers to obstruct the procession carrying the happy couple.

BITTER VODKA

will be kept by the spouse who collects more coins thrown by the guests.

At the threshold of the wedding venue, the newlyweds are welcomed by their parents. The bride may be asked what she prefers: bread, salt or the groom. She should answer that she chooses „bread, salt, and the groom, for he will work for what we consume”.

After the first toast, the bride and groom throw glasses behind each other - the more broken pieces of glass, the happier the marriage will be. Tradition dictates that the husband, out of concern for the safety of his new wife, carry her over the threshold to protect her – when the wife trips, it symbolizes slips in marriage.

And what about the first dance? Obviously, it belongs to the newlyweds – but it’s also an omen. Graceful and smooth steps during first dance symbolize harmonious mariage and looking in the same direction.

A traditional chant to encourage the newlyweds to kiss. During the toast, the guests sing „Gorzka wódka, gorzka wódka, trzeba ją osłodzić” („Bitter vodka, bitter vodka, has to be sweetened”), to which the newlyweds must respond with a kiss, the length of which is often „measured” by the guests, who count down from ten.

OCZEPINY

Come midnight, and we’re in for oczepiny. In the past, the ceremony consisted of removing the wreath from the bride’s head, cutting her hair and decorating it with a cap – a symbol of marriage. The name oczepiny originated from it. Nowadays, we are turning this symbolic abandonment of maidenhood into an element of wedding fun. The bride throws the veil behind her and it is caught by the maidens present at the wedding. The one into whose hands it falls will marry first. The same goes for the groom. During the oczepiny ceremony, the bride and groom are blindfolded so that fate decides who will catch the veil and the bow tie.

WEDDING CAKE

In the past, the bride and groom would bake the wedding cake themselves and serve it to their guests. Nowadays, cakes are ordered from pastry shops. However, the symbolic meaning remains the same – the bride and groom share the dessert with the guests, so that the sweetness given to them is returned to the newlyweds along with abundance.

RAISING MONEY FOR A BABY STROLLER

In many regions of Poland, during the oczepiny ceremony, the newlyweds come out onto the dance floor and start dancing a waltz – so that the wedding guests can come forward and start an „excuse-me dance” where the male guests dance with the bride and the female guests dance with the groom. To dance with them, however, one has to pay by placing money in baskets (often shaped like a baby stroller). According to custom, these symbolic sums are donated towards a baby stroller for the newlyweds’ first child.

Old polishDEGREES O f k INSHIP

The

spear or The dIsTaff sIde?

Of course, we should start with a division into the spear (paternal) and the dIsTaff (maternal) sIde of the family. They refer to a traditional allocation of duties in the family - when the mother spins (a distaff is a tool used in spinning), the father fights (hence the symbolic spear). The ancestors were called aGNaTes in the case of paternal and CoGNaTes in the case of maternal ones.

Wujek, stryjek aNd all The oThers

Today, siblings of parents are called wujostwo However, in the past the term Wuj was reserved solely to a mother’s brother. His wife was called WujeNkA or WujNA. A father’s brother was called stryj, and his wife was stryjeNkA or stryjNA These terms are still being used sometimes, but they are slowly becoming obsolete.

A sister of our parent, both father and mother, is called CIOtkA. But in the past we would not call her husband wujek, but we would use a term POCIOt or NACIOt

Cousins of our father and mother could also be called wuj, ciotka and stryj, but with a possible distinction of a level of kinship.

Talking about wuj, stryj,

and ciotka, we should not forget about their children. Today, they are all simply called cousins. In the past, we had BrACIA and sIOstry (brothers and sisters) CIOteCZNI (the distaff side) and stryjeCZNI (on the spear side).

WheN your sIblINGs have ChIldreN

We also become wuj, stryj and ciotka, accordingly, when our siblings have children. But who are they to us? In the case of a sister, the terms sIOstr ZeNIeC (nephew) and sIOstr ZeNICA (niece) were used in the past, and are used today. But children of a brother were BrAtANek and BrAtANICA only to a woman, but to a man they were syNOWIeC and syNOWICA (or NIeWIAstkA). Other terms that have been equally forgotten are NIeCI and NIEŚCIORY, that is, general terms describing children of the siblings.

MarrIaGe, ThaT Is, swaćba

Let’s move to the theme of this day! Today, when two people get married, they become the marriage. In the past, we would call this relationship swaDŹBA (or possibly swaćba), based on the verb swatać (matchmaking).

The word swaćba is also clearly associated with the term sWAt – or its female counterpart: sWAtkA –that is, parents of a dau-

ghter’s husband. However, parents of a son’s wife would not be called this way. In the old Polish, they were called wsPÓŁTEŚć and wsPÓŁTEŚCIOwa, respectively.

Of course, TEŚć and TEŚCIOwa (or in the past, also CIEŚć and CIEŚCIOWA) are parents of a wife. Today, both these terms are also used to describe parents of a husband, while in the past a woman would call them ŚwIEKR or ŚwIEKIER (husband’s father) and ŚwIEKRa (husband’s mother).

There were also appropriate terms for son’s wife and daughter’s husband. Today’s daughter in law in the past was referred to as sNeCHA or – a diminutive form – sNesZkA

Only a daughter’s husband have always been and remained ZIĘć, although in the past a term ZIĘTasZEK was also used.

GreaT uNCle aNd GreaT auNT

The senior members of the family, our grandfather (dziadek) and grandmother (babcia), in the old Polish, were called also less diminutive forms of DZIAD and BABA

In the past, we were not wnuczki (grandchildren), but wNĘK (grandson) and wNĘKa, wNĘCZKa, or WNukWIA (granddaughter), respectively. There were also universal terms for grandchildren, which could be used regardless of their sex, that is DZIeCIĘCIE or CZĘD

And how should we call a sister or a brother of one of our grandparents? In the past, they had names for that, too! Our grandmother’s sister was WIeLkA CIOtkA or PrACIOtkA, while her brother was called WIeLkI Wuj, stAry Wuj or PRZEDwIEć

Concerning siblings of our granddad, the sisters were called the same way as in the case of the grandmother, but his brothers were not wielki wuj to his grandchildren, but WIeLkI stryj, PrAstryj or Pr Zestryj

furTher deGrees of kINshIp

And when it may seem that we’ve already discussed all of them... it’s just the beginning! In Old Polish, there was a distinctive term for every level of kinship.

In the past, a wife would call a sister of her husband ZEŁwa, ŻEŁwIa, ZOŁwa, ZEŁwICa or ŻOŁwICa, and her husband ZEŁwIN, while a husband’s brother was called DZIeWIer Z and his wife – JĄTREw or JĄTREwKa

And it was similar on the other side. A wife’s sister was ŚwIEŚć, and her husband was PAsZeNOG, while a wife’s brother was sZur Zy or sZur ZyN and his wife was sZur ZyNA

Only a brother’s wife remains unchangingly BrAtOWA, while a sister’s husband is sZWAGIer known to this day (though in the past he was also called sWAk).