One of the more familiar-sounding months in the Polish calendar year, Marzec comes from the Latin 'Martius,' the Roman month dedicated to Mars, the god of war.
Like elsewhere in the world, Poland celebrates Dzień Kobiet (ENG: Women's Day) on the 8th of the month every year. Once a public holiday in the country's communist period, the date has remained an important fixture in Poland's cultural calendar, with copious amounts of gifts and flowers (specifically tulips) being endowed upon the female contingent of society.
Marzec sees the official start of spring on the 21st, and Poland celebrates this seasonal change with the age-old tradition of Marzanna, the Slavic goddess of winter's end. After being carried through the streets, Marzanna's effigy is burned, beaten, and then drowned in a local waterway. The irony of a pagan Slavic tradition in ultra-catholic Poland is not lost on us. Though perhaps even more ironic is the fact this violent pastime's most enthusiastic participants are children of school age!
Speaking of Catholicism, Marzec is the period of Wielki Post (ENG: Lent), where the more devout in Polish society abstain from various earthly delights.
As we all know, springtime sees the return of plant life in Poland's natural surrounds, and it's all rather lovely! However, there is one flower that sends budding photographers into a frenzy. The early blooms of Crocus vernus, known in Poland as Krokusy, cover the landscape of southern Poland in spectacular fashion. Those keen on witnessing this floral explosion should make their way to the Chochołowska Valley, high up in the Tatra Mountain ranges.
Check out other months in the Polish Calendar Year!
Styczeń (January)Luty (February)
Marzec (March)
Kwiecień (April)
Maj (May)
Czerwiec (June)
Lipiec (July)
Sierpień (August)
Wrzesień (September)
Październik (October)
Listopad (November)
Grudzień (December)
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