Author: Ewa Grynicka
EASTER HORSE PROCESSION
I have always been curious about my family history. From an early age, I enjoyed sitting on my grandmother or grandfather's lap and listening to them talk about the past. There were interesting anecdotes in these stories, memories of people who are no longer with us today, there was laughter and seriousness.
That morning I woke up in a great mood. Outside the windows, the first signs of spring were visible and the day promised to be cheerful. After all, it was Easter Monday, no need to get up for school. I joyfully ran into the kitchen and greeted the household. Grandma and Grandpa were already with us.
Grandpa smiled broadly.- I'm taking you on a special trip today - he said. I jumped up and hugged him tightly. I knew it was going to be an exciting day.
Click at the horse
Before 1 p.m. we got into the car and set off. We turned from Daszyńskiego street in my hometown of Gliwice into Architektów street. I knew we were in a district of the city, Ostropa. After a few moments, we stopped near a dirt road.
- Now we have to wait a while - my grandfather said mysteriously.
There was a group of people standing next to us. I was very curious to see what would happen.
Suddenly, a group of riders on horseback emerged from around the bend. They were decorated with beautiful wreaths of tissue paper white flowers and boxwood. They rode in threes, rather than in fours as is typical in a horse cavalcade. Some riders had one wreath slung across their necks, others had two.
- You see, grandson, it is the unmarried bachelors who each have two wreaths around their necks. In the married ones you can only see one. And they were all made on Holy Saturday by the wives or fiancés of these men.
- Why do the unmarried men have as many as two wreaths, Grandpa? - I asked.
- The tradition of this rite, the Easter procession on horseback, called Osterritt in German, dates back "from time immemorial", according to a record from 1711 preserved in one of the parish books. At the end of the procession, the horsemen throw wreaths onto a tall missionary cross. There is a belief that the owner of this wreath, who hangs on the cross, will marry or meet his chosen one in the same year. Hahaha, that's why every bachelor has two wreaths to increase his chances - grandfather answered.
Click at the horse
"Rafał, my future husband, threw a wreath on the cross in 1993 and that was the same year we met. So there is a lot of truth in this belief."
Aniela Magiera
The video shows the ritual of the Easter Horse Procession, from preparation to completion
- You talk, grandfather, about the end of the procession. And what does the beginning of it look like? - I asked, increasingly excited.
- The organisers of the procession are the men of the Ostropa parish (mainly farmers), including Mr Rafal Magiera with his sons Mateusz and Paweł, who is continuing the tradition after his father and grandfather. It is from their stud that the horses on which the riders ride now come. There are between 30 and 80 riders, depending on who is willing in any given year. In the past, they were only men, but for the past dozen or so years women have also been seen in the procession. And there is the obligatory priest, because it is, after all, an Easter procession. Everyone sings Easter hymns, Eucharistic hymns, songs of thanksgiving, Marian hymns and prays for a good harvest and good weather as they go round the surrounding fields. It's the beginning of the spring!
"The procession forms in front of the church. It has a definite order: in the first three, three unmarried men ride, with the middle one holding the processional cross. In the next three, selected horsemen hold a statue of the Risen Christ, a cross with a stole and a small paschal."
Rafał Magiera
- Grandpa, you tell me extraordinary stories! How it all comes together beautifully, religious traditions, customs, rituals, symbols and man's relationship with nature! - I exclaimed.
- Yes, yes, you're right - smiled my grandfather. - The procession ends at around 5 p.m. at the church, where the participants circle the church building already on foot and go to the thanksgiving service. The parish priest blesses everyone and expresses his thanks for their participation.
00:00
"My father, when he was still alive, presided over chants and prayers. He had an excellent voice."
Rafał Magiera
- Grandpa, look, look, there's also a fire brigade and police officers on motorbikes! - I turned my face towards the fire engine in surprise.
- Well, you see, grandson, it's for the safety of the participants in the procession, so that they can cheerfully and merrily sing and not worry about anything. And by the way, you can see how the old tradition is being supplemented with new elements, i.e. going with the times - smiled grandpa.
We returned home in the late afternoon. My head was filled with excitement and the certainty that next year I would take my cousins from overseas and faraway Australia to the procession, as they had promised to spend another Easter with us. May this unique tradition from Upper Silesia, from Ostropa, included on the national list of intangible cultural heritage, be known even in another hemisphere ... And I really started to like horses.
The author of the story wrote it based on an interview with Mrs Alina and Mr Rafal Magiera, owners of the Ostropa stables and organisers of the Easter procession. Photos of the horses were taken by Mr Marek Myszczyszyn. Scans of archive photos of the procession from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s from the private collection of Mr and Mrs Magiera will be added to the story on the following pages.
Author of the story with a horse
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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Transcript
Author: Ewa Grynicka
EASTER HORSE PROCESSION
I have always been curious about my family history. From an early age, I enjoyed sitting on my grandmother or grandfather's lap and listening to them talk about the past. There were interesting anecdotes in these stories, memories of people who are no longer with us today, there was laughter and seriousness.
That morning I woke up in a great mood. Outside the windows, the first signs of spring were visible and the day promised to be cheerful. After all, it was Easter Monday, no need to get up for school. I joyfully ran into the kitchen and greeted the household. Grandma and Grandpa were already with us.
Grandpa smiled broadly.- I'm taking you on a special trip today - he said. I jumped up and hugged him tightly. I knew it was going to be an exciting day.
Click at the horse
Before 1 p.m. we got into the car and set off. We turned from Daszyńskiego street in my hometown of Gliwice into Architektów street. I knew we were in a district of the city, Ostropa. After a few moments, we stopped near a dirt road. - Now we have to wait a while - my grandfather said mysteriously. There was a group of people standing next to us. I was very curious to see what would happen.
Suddenly, a group of riders on horseback emerged from around the bend. They were decorated with beautiful wreaths of tissue paper white flowers and boxwood. They rode in threes, rather than in fours as is typical in a horse cavalcade. Some riders had one wreath slung across their necks, others had two.
- You see, grandson, it is the unmarried bachelors who each have two wreaths around their necks. In the married ones you can only see one. And they were all made on Holy Saturday by the wives or fiancés of these men. - Why do the unmarried men have as many as two wreaths, Grandpa? - I asked.
- The tradition of this rite, the Easter procession on horseback, called Osterritt in German, dates back "from time immemorial", according to a record from 1711 preserved in one of the parish books. At the end of the procession, the horsemen throw wreaths onto a tall missionary cross. There is a belief that the owner of this wreath, who hangs on the cross, will marry or meet his chosen one in the same year. Hahaha, that's why every bachelor has two wreaths to increase his chances - grandfather answered.
Click at the horse
"Rafał, my future husband, threw a wreath on the cross in 1993 and that was the same year we met. So there is a lot of truth in this belief." Aniela Magiera
The video shows the ritual of the Easter Horse Procession, from preparation to completion
- You talk, grandfather, about the end of the procession. And what does the beginning of it look like? - I asked, increasingly excited. - The organisers of the procession are the men of the Ostropa parish (mainly farmers), including Mr Rafal Magiera with his sons Mateusz and Paweł, who is continuing the tradition after his father and grandfather. It is from their stud that the horses on which the riders ride now come. There are between 30 and 80 riders, depending on who is willing in any given year. In the past, they were only men, but for the past dozen or so years women have also been seen in the procession. And there is the obligatory priest, because it is, after all, an Easter procession. Everyone sings Easter hymns, Eucharistic hymns, songs of thanksgiving, Marian hymns and prays for a good harvest and good weather as they go round the surrounding fields. It's the beginning of the spring!
"The procession forms in front of the church. It has a definite order: in the first three, three unmarried men ride, with the middle one holding the processional cross. In the next three, selected horsemen hold a statue of the Risen Christ, a cross with a stole and a small paschal." Rafał Magiera
- Grandpa, you tell me extraordinary stories! How it all comes together beautifully, religious traditions, customs, rituals, symbols and man's relationship with nature! - I exclaimed. - Yes, yes, you're right - smiled my grandfather. - The procession ends at around 5 p.m. at the church, where the participants circle the church building already on foot and go to the thanksgiving service. The parish priest blesses everyone and expresses his thanks for their participation.
00:00
"My father, when he was still alive, presided over chants and prayers. He had an excellent voice." Rafał Magiera
- Grandpa, look, look, there's also a fire brigade and police officers on motorbikes! - I turned my face towards the fire engine in surprise. - Well, you see, grandson, it's for the safety of the participants in the procession, so that they can cheerfully and merrily sing and not worry about anything. And by the way, you can see how the old tradition is being supplemented with new elements, i.e. going with the times - smiled grandpa.
We returned home in the late afternoon. My head was filled with excitement and the certainty that next year I would take my cousins from overseas and faraway Australia to the procession, as they had promised to spend another Easter with us. May this unique tradition from Upper Silesia, from Ostropa, included on the national list of intangible cultural heritage, be known even in another hemisphere ... And I really started to like horses.
The author of the story wrote it based on an interview with Mrs Alina and Mr Rafal Magiera, owners of the Ostropa stables and organisers of the Easter procession. Photos of the horses were taken by Mr Marek Myszczyszyn. Scans of archive photos of the procession from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s from the private collection of Mr and Mrs Magiera will be added to the story on the following pages.
Author of the story with a horse
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.