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.

The Yellow Clog, Polish Folklore

The Yellow Clog is a very condensed version based on a story by Antonina Domanska (1853-1917). It is a very popular story in Poland, which comes from Krakow. It mentions such big historic names as King Kasimir Jagiello (1427-1492), Jan Dlugosz (1415-1480) a well-known Polish chronicler and Wit Stwosz (1450-1533) a German sculptor best known for an altarpiece in St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow.

In the city of Krakow, full of arts and vibrant atmosphere filled with young students, at the St. Mary’s Basilica, workmen were restoring an altar made ages before by a famous German sculptor Veit Stoss, when they found a yellow clog behind the altar.

Many years ago, or even longer, in a small village near Krakow, there was a boy named Vitek. As long as he could get a piece of wood, he could carve from dawn until night instead of watching grazing cows. The spanking didn’t help. The threats of taking every piece of wood didn’t help. But one day he was so absorbed with carving that a grazing cow escaped him and destroyed the priest’s crops. Vitek got so scared that he himself escaped to the woods and wandered for days. The woods were so big and so thick that he couldn’t find the way out. So he walked and walked and then out of the woods he saw a city in the distance.

The boy entered the city and saw the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen in his life. The town center was full of colorful glittering things being sold at tables. A man wearing the weirdest clothes was throwing balls in the air. Another guy wore a jacket with one red sleeve and one yellow. His pants’ one leg was in straps and the other in squares. His face was covered in white paint with a big round red nose. On top of that he was acting weird trying to make people laugh. The day was reaching the end, when Vitek accidently stumbled at one of those guys. He jumped as he got scared. The guy laughed, “You’re not afraid of a clown, are you? Where are you heading?” The boy stammered for a moment “I got lost in the woods. I have to get back home, which is near Krakow.” “You’re in luck. Our next stop is in Krakow. So you can come with us tomorrow morning.”

When they reached Krakow the next day, the city was very alive with people enjoying Sunday, a day free off of work. Vitek said his goodbyes and parted with the circus. He didn’t know which way to turn, so he just wandered through the narrow cobbled streets admiring the details of the facades of the buildings. His eyes were amazed with specifics of the columns standing gloriously by the windows and holding small and big decorative roofs. His eyes were up in the sky, not noticing a stone under his foot, which almost sent him to the ground.

A father from a convent was struggling to close a heavy and massive door of one of the most splendid churches, when he noticed Vitek almost falling to the ground. He wondered about the lonely boy dressed in tattered clothes and shabby shoes, “Where are your parents, young boy?” “I got lost in the woods and I need to get back home. Please, help me” begged boy. “What are the names of your parents and the village you come from?” “My father’s name is Tolek and mother’s Barbara and the village is Poreba” answered boy. “Oh, that’s not an easy task. All those names are very common including the village” thought father to himself “But we have to take care of the boy before we find his parents.”

He took the boy to father Jan Dlugosz, who was a well-known chronicler and diplomat. Jan took part in many diplomatic missions negotiating peace between countries. Once, the situation with the boy was explained to him, Jan tactfully announced, “I could always use some help in recording events. So we could teach the boy how to read and write.”

Vitek turned out to be a quick learner and a good help. Weeks went by and one day after a stormy and windy night a small tree fell down in the convent’s orchard. One of the fathers lamented about losing a tree that was bringing fruits. Vitek, without any wood available to him, has not carved for a long time and longed for this deeply. He saw an opportunity right away and offered, “Can I chop the tree and make some use of the wood?” “Oh, yes” the father answered with already a better mood, “We can use it in the winter to light the fire.” But that’s not what Vitek had in mind.

The boy was so busy during the day with all the chores and reading and writing lessons that he had only nights left to do some carving. His favorite statues were of people and animals were he painstakingly was trying to show the anatomy of each muscle. His attention to details was making the figures almost look alive.

One night Vitek was so absorbed with carving that he didn’t hear father Jan coming into his room. “I saw the light. It’s after midnight. What are you doing so late?” Troubled Vitek knew he couldn’t lie, so he showed the carvings he’d been hiding. Jan’s face brightened at the beautiful artwork, but at the same time he was trying to keep his face straight. He didn’t want the boy to think that it was ok to be doing this in secret, most of all during the night, when he was supposed to be getting his rest.

Father Jan knew just the right person to take Vitek to. Next morning, he took the boy to the church, where a master sculptor named Veit Stoss was carving an altarpiece. He was a master in showing human emotions in his woodwork. He carefully reviewed the boy’s sculptures and was amazed how far advanced the young boy’s skills were. It took many years of practice for many sculptors to achieve what he’s already achieved at such young age.

Veit Stoss looked at the boy and pointed at the altar. The altar was composed of three sections: one big in the middle with two smaller on the sides. This way you could cover the altar with the side parts as you were closing doors. Most of the holy figures were already done, but some still had to be carved. The boy’s eyes were wide opened as he has never seen such artwork and was magnified by the expressions of the figures. One of the silhouettes was falling to the knees and was held by another person. The expression on the face of the falling silhouette made Vitek believe that she was begging for help.

The master saw boy’s fascination and asked “Vitek, would you like to help me with finishing this altar?” The boy’s eyes opened even wider in surprise, he stammered “Of, of course, master.” Vitek could hardly contain his happiness.

Not long after that, King Kasimir Yagiello, who was residing in Krakow, which was the capital of Poland at the time, visited the church to see the progress. He was very impressed with almost finished altar and gave high praise to Veit Stoss. The master being a humble person could not take all the credit, as he turned around he saw the boy and introduced him to the King.

The King looked at the skinny boy dressed in what still looked like rags and asked him, “Young boy what would you like to receive for your hard work?” Vitek once saw a merchant from foreign land, who was wearing yellow clogs. Since then the boy was dreaming to have the same clogs. He knew exactly what he wished for and said “A pair of yellow clogs.” The king chuckled and repeated “A pair of yellow clogs” and added “You shall receive them.”

Right before the last touches of finishing the altarpiece, Vitek came across his old friend in the streets of Krakow. Vitek with his friend’s help found the way back to his village and his parents. There was so much joy and so many tears and all this right in time for the big ceremony.

The altar was ready and the day came to reveal it in a big ceremony. For that occasion Vitek put his yellow clogs on. But right before the King’s arrival, the master Stoss noticed that one of the figures was missing scrolls in the hand. Vitek climbed the altar to put in the missing piece. Unfortunately, while climbing, one of his yellow clogs slipped and fell behind the altar. It slipped somewhere between the tiny gaps. He was not able to retrieve it and was very sad about losing the yellow clog, but happy that he saved the situation.

The yellow clog was never found until the ages later during the restoration time. The workmen were so fascinated by the clog that it engaged them in search of the story.

 

Mouse Tower, Polish Folktale

The so called Mouse Tower was built in the 15^th century by the Lake Goplo in Poland and still stands there. You can try your luck and search for Popiel’s clothes and Ortrud’s jewelry there. The story will explain.

A long time ago, there was a ruler named Popiel, who lived by Lake Goplo in the land called Poland. When he died his only son also named Popiel was still young. So he ruled the lands with the help of his twelve uncles. The young Popiel was lazy and didn’t care about his people. He wanted everything for himself.

When Popiel grew up, he married a girl from neighboring lands. Ortrud was known for her beauty and greed. So she had one thing in common with Popiel, but it wasn’t the beauty, it was the greed. They lived in a wooden castle and it didn’t take long when Ortrud said “This castle will crumble down any moment. We need to build a new castle made of stone.” So a big castle was built with such tall tower that you could have seen it for miles away.

With all the money gone, Popiel ordered people “Bring me all the goods including animals, fish, grain and honey.” The uncles begged the ruler not to do this pleading “If there is nothing left, people will be hungry. If people are hungry, they won’t have strength to work.” But Popiel and Ortrud ignored all the pleading.

And that’s when Popiel’s nightly nightmares started. When he was deep in a sleep, he dreamed of an army of mice coming after him. One tiny mouse said to him “I’ll eat you.” Popiel woke up sweating. “It was only a dream” he said and went back to sleep.

Some time went by and situation was getting worse. The twelve uncles continued insisting “Popiel you need to stop oppressing the people. You are ruining your lands.” Gertrud didn’t like the uncles getting in the way and laughed at her husband “What kind of ruler are you that you’re allowing uncles to tell you what to do.” She added more seriously “I have a plan.” And so she did. She planned a large feast with variety of foods and lots of sweet honey.

Meanwhile Popiel’s nightmares continued. During his sleep the tiny mouse came back and said “I’ll eat you.” Popiel woke up. Now a little bit concerned, he had a hard time getting back to sleep.

The time came for the feast with music and dances. Popiel gave a speech “I’m sorry for all the past bad behavior. I promise to make changes, take good care of my people and rule peacefully.” The uncles toasted “To the new era.” Ortrud stood up and insisted on serving special honey. The uncles drank the honey to the last drop. It wasn’t long when the oldest uncle felt a pain and yelled “We’re being poisoned.” He felt to the ground and was dead. The other uncles followed one by one.

Popiel realized what his wife did, but it was too late. Suddenly, a silence filled the castle followed by screaming people. “What’s happening?” asked Popiel the running servant, who answered “A mass of mice is approaching the castle.” The servants were fleeing in all directions. Popiel suggested to Ortrud “We have to run to the tower. They won’t reach us there.” Oh, how wrong he was. Small mice had no trouble catching the ruler at the top of the tower. And one by one they sneaked through the door. After all the screams, the castle became very quiet.

As soon as a new day had risen, the people searched the castle and at the tower they found the clothing of Popiel and the jewels of Ortrud. The ruler and his wife had been eaten. The mice made room for a new ruler. Let’s hope a better one or the mice will be back.