I have recently started paying closer attention to my roots and my ancestral lineage. I was lucky enough to be taken on a trip to Kurpie in Poland, where some of my ancestors come from. Today, I thought I would share some of the unique beliefs and traditions from this region.

Kurpie is the name of both the people and an ethnic region of Poland in Mazowsze region, once covered by two forests: the White Wilderness and the Green Wilderness. The forests provided people with most of what they needed, with first settlers hunting and gathering there. Main occupations were beekeeping and iron smelting, but home crafts were also very important, with particularly unique wood carvings and weaved linens. Paper cut outs of animals, flowers and complicated designs are particularly known in this region.

Kurpie were religious and superstitious peoples. Christianity was a hugely important aspect of their lives, with each home having its own individual altar that was decorated and looked after. Homes were often decorated with crosses, depictions of Jesus, Mary the Virgin, and other Christian saints. Those saints were seen as protectors, and their portraits were hung at a slight angle to allow people to hide treasures behind them. This meant that no thieves dared to steal the item, as they would risk the curse of the saint.

Understandably, these God fearing people would be all too aware of Satan’s influence on the world. They therefore had a trusted method of checking whether the devil was hiding in their homes. They simply had to walk over to a corner of the house and blow into it. If steam appeared and they could see their breath, unfortunately Satan was present.

It’s interesting that with such deep Christian beliefs, Kurpie also respected other spirits. For example, they acknowledged good spirits who helped to look after their homes and lived in the thresholds of their houses. One should never step directly on the threshold or doorstep for this reason, as it could kill the good spirit.

Thresholds were also known liminal spaces between two worlds, which meant one should never greet anyone else in the threshold as this would be equivalent to saying goodbye between the worlds, therefore bringing death to one of the people.

Christmas was a particularly important time, seen as the beginning of the new year. People would look out for signs and omens that would reveal what the next year might bring. A particularly bad omen would be a woman being the first guest to the house on Christmas Eve, as she would bring bad luck upon them for the entire forthcoming year. People feared this so much, neighbours would hire each other to be the first guest to the households, and women were often forbidden from leaving their homes until the evening meal, lest they be accused of bringing bad luck to others. The supper began with breaking of the holy wafer, which was also shared with cattle and sheep, as those animals were present at the birth of Jesus. After supper, all would go to church for midnight mass. It was traditional to light fires on their way, as the shepherds who visited baby Jesus did.

This region has some unique and fascinating legends and beliefs, which I am only beginning to delve into. As I learn more, I aim to share some of the most incredible legends on this blog in the future.