St Martin’s Croissants, Polish Legend

In Poland, November 11^th is an Independence Day. In Poznan November 11^th has a double meaning. The legend will explain.

A long time ago, in a city of Poznan, there was a baker named Joseph. He heard a story of St Martin, who saved a poor man by giving him his warm jacket. Joseph wanted to make a good deed and was thinking about the best way to help those, who were less fortunate. Then he had a dream in which St Martin came to him on a horse and left without any word. However, a horseshoe fell loose. Joseph looked at the horseshoe and at the same time an idea came to him. He decided to use his skills as a baker and make croissants in a shape of a horseshoe filled with poppy seeds, nuts and raisins. Joseph woke up from his dream, when it was still dark and started making the croissants through the morning. During the day he gave them all away to those who were hungry. His good deed became a tradition. In the following years, other bakers from Poznan joined Joseph in making croissants. The tradition started in 1891 and continues till today and always falls on November 11^th.

True story:

In 1891, local priest from St Martin’s parish appealed to its parishioners to take an example from St Martin and help the poor. One of Poznan’s bakers, Joseph Melzer, made croissants in a shape of half moon filled with poppy seeds, nuts and raisins. The croissants were given away to the poor after a mass. In the following years, other bakers from Poznan joined Joseph in making croissants. They were given to the poor and whoever could afford them would pay.

Interesting Historical Facts: Jan III Sobieski and his stories of potatoes and donuts

A long time ago, when the kings were ruling the lands, Europe was about to be invaded by Turks. Emperor Leopold I asked for help. King Jan III Sobieski of Poland rushed with his help. After a ferocious battle Europe won over Turks. And as a thank you, Leopold I from his gardens in Vienna gave the Polish King what was called back then ground apples (1683). It took Poles about 100 years to get to like the potatoes. But today they are part of almost every day meal.

Torun has been famous for gingerbread since the XIII century. One of the well-known bakers was Michael Remla. Jan III Sobieski took a liking of Michael’s delicacies and hired him as his personal baker. He even took him to the battle against the Turks. While he was battling the Turks, Michael was learning how to bake new delicacies and one of them were donuts. Donuts on the other hand, became instant sensation in Poland and today they are part of every year Fat Thursday.

Tradition of Andrzejki, Polish Tradition

A long time ago, in a small village by the Vistula River lived a girl named Jana. She had a lot of admirers, but none of them hold her interest. It was the time of a year, when days were getting shorter and nights longer. One night, while sitting by a cozy fireplace, Jana’s grandma told her about a Polish tradition of Andrzejki (derived from a name Andrew). “On the magical night of Andrew, the girls practiced different oracles that helped them to see their future husbands” said grandma. Jana was so fascinated by the story that she hardly could wait till November 29^th to test it herself.

So the Andrew’s night came and Jana invited her girlfriends to test the oracles once done by her mother and grandmother. “Let’s see who gets married first and we’ll use left shoes to find out” said Jana. Excited girls started lining left shoes one by one till they reached the threshold. Very quickly it turned out that it was Jana’s shoe and she would get married first.

After the first oracle, the girls got busy with peeling the apples without breaking the peelings. “Now we will throw the peelings behind us to see what letters we get” said Jana “It will be the first letter of a future husband’s first name.” The girls got so excited with guessing the names that Jana suggested another oracle with names “We need a bowl of water, a candle and a key.” (Back then the keys had big openings). “Now we will light a candle and pour the wax through the key’s opening into the water creating a letter.”

The last oracle involved straw pulling. Each girl got a bunch of straws and then counting started. According to this oracle if a girl had an even number, it meant marriage. An odd number meant spinsterhood. But according to this oracle all girls were supposed to get married, resulting in undeniable happiness.

Before the night has ended, Jana was wondering “Will the oracles come true. What the dreams will bring.” That night she dreamt of a tall man with dark hair. Since then, her thoughts were occupied by the image of the man of her dreams. A few months later a young carpenter settled in the village. They took the like of each other. And after the harvest a big wedding took place. Jana got married to the man of her dreams. Now, her girlfriends were waiting for the next Andrew’s day and a chance to see who would be the next to get married.

Andrew’s day is on November 30. However, the oracles happen a day before on November 29.

Magical Fern, Polish Folklore

A long time ago and far away in a land called Poland, there was a young boy named Jack, who lived with his grandparents in a small village. Jack was a very curious boy, who liked adventure. One night, his grandpa told him a story of a magical fern. “There is a fern deep in the woods that blossoms only on St. John’s day, which is the first day of summer. The longest day in the whole year” explained grandpa. “Whoever finds the fern, will have whatever he wishes for.” Jack’s grandparents didn’t have much. So the idea of finding the magical fern became Jack’s goal. He believed in a saying “If you put your mind into something, then you will have it.”

So the night of St. John came. All the youth from the village gathered around a huge bonfire to sing and dance. But Jack didn’t join them. He wandered into the woods in search of the magical fern. The forest seemed to be overgrown, the paths narrower and the noises of the animals louder. But he realized it’s all to scare him away and discourage him from finding the fern. He wandered and wandered and found a fern, but it wasn’t the magical fern. The night was ending and the first light was getting to Jack through the trees. He knew it was the time to get back home and wait for a year for another St. John’s night.

But it wasn’t easy to wait patiently. Jack thought to himself “The time seems to be standing still and the days seem to be getting longer.” Instead Jack made himself busy and useful around the house. The year went by much faster.

So the night of St. John came again. Jack wandered into the woods. The forest seemed to be friendlier than the last time, but the magical fern was nowhere to be found. Jack wandered and wandered till the first light came out and the roosters were crowing. Tears appeared in his eyes. It was the time to go back home and wait for another year.

Again, Jack got busy, which helped him to get through another year. And again, St John’s night came. Jack wandered through the woods, looked through each bush not to miss the fern. And then he saw a bright light coming from a plant. He looked carefully and said “That’s the magical fern.” He picked the fern, when he heard a voice “Now that you have found me, you can have anything you wish for. But remember it’s only for you. You cannot share it with anybody.” “That shouldn’t be hard” thought boy to himself. Holding the magical fern, Jack headed back home thinking what he would ask for “A big palace with servants, nice clothes, magnificent carriage with horses…” He hasn’t finished his thought, when he found himself at the edge of a forest facing a huge palace, dressed in the finest clothes and a carriage with six white horses awaiting him. He was taken to the palace, which interior was richly decorated and filled with servants. All faces were new to him, no family or friends. Suddenly, he felt some emptiness. But the tiredness was stronger. So he went to his bedroom, where he fell asleep in the nicest bed in a blink of an eye.

Next morning, feeling hungry, he followed the smell of bacon and eggs to the dining room. The table was full of food and cider. Jack ate and drank till he hardly could move. Then with a heavy belly, he went to the garden. The blooming trees were full of fruits and the blooming flowers were spreading the most amazing scent. “This is the most beautiful garden I’ve ever seen” thought Jack to himself “But none of this is familiar. I’m not recognizing my village.” Everything was unknown to him. But as soon as the servants were fulfilling his wishes, he forgot about his village and family.

The time went by and the thoughts were coming back to Jack “If only I could give a sack full of coins to my grandparents to help them out.” But he knew he couldn’t share his fortune or he would lose everything. So he got busy with making the palace even bigger, adding new plants to the garden, acquiring more expensive clothes and jewels. The satisfaction of obtaining goods was short lived; the thoughts of his village and family were coming back.

One day, he got into his coach and thought of getting to his village. In that instance, the horses galloped till they stopped in front of a small cottage. Jack recognized his grandparents’ place. The tears rolled down his cheeks. Then somebody unknown to him appeared from behind the cottage. “A fine gentleman, are you lost?” asked stranger. “No, I’m looking for the old couple, who lived in this cottage” replied Jack. “They died of hunger and cold” said stranger and left. Jack couldn’t bear the thought of not helping his grandparents and blamed himself for their death. He thought “If they’re gone, then I want to be gone, too.” Suddenly, the earth opened up and Jack disappeared with his fern. That’s why the magical fern can no longer be found. It is buried deep down in the earth.

 

Golden Duck, Polish Folktale

A long time ago, there was a young man named Jacob, who lived in Warsaw. He liked spending his time telling stories. But one day, he met an older man, who told him a story of a Golden Duck. “Under one of Warsaw’s castles, there is a small lake with crystal clear water and a Golden Duck shining in the middle of the lake. The duck is protecting all the treasures hidden by the lake” the older man paused and looked at Jacob “You just have to fulfill duck’s one task and all the treasures will be yours.” Jacob who didn’t have much was very eager to find the lake and try his luck. Without wasting any time, next day he ventured out looking for the lake. He searched the undergrounds of one castle, explored the secretive passages of another castle, and then in the dark spaces of the next castle, he saw glowing gold. All of a sudden Jacob heard “I’m here.” He looked around and spotted a Golden Duck in the middle of the lake, now approaching the shore. “All the gold you see can be yours” spoke the duck “you just have to prove to me that you can handle all this gold.” “All right, what is the challenge?” asked Jacob. “Take this bag with money laying at the shore and spend it only on yourself in one day.” “That shouldn’t be hard” thought Jacob. With the pouch full of ducats in his one hand and the candle in the other, he found his way out of the castle. Jacob knew he had to start spending the money right away. As soon as he reached the streets of Warsaw, he stopped by the tailor’s shop and ordered new clothing made of velvet with a flamboyant hat. His next stop was at a shoemaker, where he asked for an exquisite pair of shoes worth king’s feet. Then he treated himself to a delicious meal at the nicest tavern. “What else can I buy for myself” thought Jacob while enjoying his meal. “A white horse with a magnificent carriage” he answered himself. In a blink of an eye he was back in the streets and acquiring a white horse and a carriage. Then up on a carriage trotting through the cobbled streets. The day was ending and the sun was setting, when Jacob realized that it’s about the time to go back to the duck with an empty sack. But he still had one more coin. He was about to spend it on some good cake when a poor man reached out with his hand and begged “Kind young man, please give me some bread.” Jacob without any hesitation reached for the last coin and handing it said “You can get a nice meal for this.” Suddenly, Jacob’s horse and carriage disappeared. His velvet clothes turned into the old rags. And the voice of the Golden Duck spoke “You didn’t keep the promise. You didn’t spend all the money on yourself.” Jacob looked at the poor man, who smiled at him and said “You didn’t lose anything; you still have a good heart and a pair of hands that can achieve wonders.” Jacob took the advice to his heart, which he followed and got a job as a shoemaker. Making shoes was something he wanted to use his hands for. It was like creating magic. Jacob learned his trade very quickly and became so good that he was making shoes for the king and his court. His passion for his trade and his hard work brought him happiness and a very comfortable living. To commemorate this legend, a fountain with a Golden Duck stands at Ostrogski Castle in Warsaw.