The festivals in Rio de Janeiro or the carnival in Venice are very well recognised. What about Karnawał in Poland? Well, some dance is going on, some dressing up, but most of all - food is there.

Party to the past

It was typically the closing Carnival celebrations, which opened the Christian Lent era from 6 January (the Epiphany feast) through Ash Wednesday. This festive season has often been called zapusty in Poland in the past (even up to the second half of the 20th century). Kulig, a particular winter party popular with the Poles, was one of its main attractions. The tradition of the 16th century comprised a riding sleigh with songs, frequently lasting several days and accompanied by music. The beautiful cavalcade moved from house to house, visited other noblemen and celebrated with them before riding with some of the people of the house. In the day they knew how to party!

Joy of Karnawał

The celebrations of Karnawał today are not great, but they are no less pleasant. In Poland, primary and kindergartens regularly plan unique dress-up parties for their pupils, a lot to the fun of their children and the anxiousness of their parents as they go shopping for a suit their children asked for. Grownups have a wide selection of carnival attractions, be it a home party, a night on a club floor, and the typical January bargain-hunt, which is the most exciting of all.

Pączki time

It is not as large or luxurious as Rio de Janeiro's, Poland's karnawał, nevertheless, surely is quite delicious. You can snack on several sweets throughout the year, but it's the final carnival week - the so-called "ostatki" - when you start your delightful faworki and pączki! Faworki (or chruściki) are beautifulation-shaped ribbon pieces that flow in your hands and bear a delicate sweet taste. The Angel wings are frequently termed in English. However addicting, even faworki on a day like Tłusty Czwartek cannot rival with pączki! (Fat Thursday - before Lent last Thursday).

Poland's karnawał may not be as big or lavish as the one in Rio de Janeiro, but it is certainly very tasty. You may snack on different sweets all year long but it is the last week of the carnival - known as ostatki - when the delicious faworki and pączki step in and the true indulgence begins! Faworki, or chruściki (sometimes called Angel wings in English) are wonderfully crispy, ribbon-shaped pastries that crumble in your hands and carry a delicate sweet taste. But as addictive as they are, even faworki cannot compete with pączki on a day like Tłusty Czwartek! (Fat Thursday – the last Thursday before Lent). This is when you can observe the real pączki madness – people queue up in front of bakeries from early morning hours in order to buy their beloved sweet (the current record holders formed a queue at 3 am!). You know what they say: the longer the queue, the better the pączki! What makes them so tasty and how are they different from doughnuts? First of all, pączki are deep-fried buns made from yeast dough and filled with rose jam, strawberry jam, advocate, or chocolate... If that is not enough, they are glazed on top or dusted with powdered sugar and sprinkled with orange zest. Healthy? Not really. Delicious? You bet!