The oldest palm contest in Poland is held in Łyse, photo: www.gminalyse.pl
Palm-making has a rich tradition in Poland. The most common palms are made of dried grasses and evergreens such as wild bilberry sprigs, boxwood and catkins but also tissue paper flowers.
In Warsaw, the biggest procession with palms is held at the Cardinal Wyszyński University in the district of Bielany, also with a real donkey to recall Jesus riding into Jerusalem. The procession was accompanied by Gregorian chants performed by Bornus Consort ensemble.
The oldest palm contest in Poland is held in Łyse, now in its 40th year, attracting hundreds of palms which are carried in a procession to church.
This year, Łyse was visited by Bronisław Komorowski, Speaker of Parliament and as of yesterday the Civic Platform’s candidate for President in this year’s elections, who pointed out that here Polish tradition was not just folklore but alive.
A contest for the tallest palm is held annually in Lipnica Murowana in southern Poland, where the palms are constructed from willow without any metal elements. This year’s winning palm was over 35 metres tall. (ek)