Endnotes explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Tradition and Religion

  The endnotes explain the Christianized survival of pagan spring festivals in Easter customs, and the religious blessing of homes and food.

• Social Class and Injustice

  The notes describe the division between landowning gospodarze and impoverished komorniki, as well as the suppression of Polish language by the Russian government.

Key passages

• “various meats and pastry solemnly blessed in each house by a priest on Holy Saturday, and eaten at Eastertide, together with the consecrated Easter eggs; probably a Christianized survival of some spring festival among the heathen Slavs.”

  On Holy Saturday, a priest blesses meats and pastries in each home, which are then eaten at Easter along with consecrated eggs; this is likely a Christian adaptation of an ancient Slavic spring festival.

  Explains the origin of Easter food blessing.

• “Dyngus , called also Smigus ; a popular festival, with a great deal of horseplay, drenchings and even dousings, on Easter Monday; believed to be a custom surviving from the time when the Poles (in the tenth century) embraced Christianity and were baptized en masse.”

  Dyngus, also known as Smigus, is a lively Easter Monday festival involving pranks and drenching with water, thought to originate from the mass baptism of Poles in the 10th century.

  Describes the Dyngus festival and its supposed origin.

• “A Russian Government school, that is.”

  This refers to a school run by the Russian government.

  Clarifies the type of school mentioned.

• “The “Sobotki” correspond to the St. John’s Eve fires.”

  The Sobotki are equivalent to the bonfires lit on St. John's Eve.

  Identifies the Sobotki tradition.

• “The representative of the Russian Government.”

  This person is the official representative of the Russian government.

  Defines a role in the context of Russian rule.