Carnival is a period of winter balls, masquerades, parades and parties that traditionally takes place between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. Formerly known as Zapusty in Poland, it was a time of feasting, dancing, and visiting neighbors. People would eat rich, fatty foods to ensure prosperity for the year and drink alcohol. In cities and noble courts, there were elaborate costume balls and masquerades beginning in the 16th century. Traditions included sleigh rides between courts and donuts eaten on Fat Tuesday. Over time, many carnival traditions faded except for folklore events, contributing to the blurring of national identity. The presentation aims to cultivate past carnival traditions and

2. Epiphany - typing on the door of the house - K + M + B + the number of year
Carnival (in Polish:Karnawał, Zapusty)
period of winter balls, masquerades, parades and parties. Usually begins on the Epiphany day and ends at Tuesday
before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent and a waiting at Easter.
The name comes from the Italian 'carne vale', and the word is derived from the Latin
and meant a farewell to meat before beginning of the Lent.

3. Formerly carnival was called in Poland
Zapusty . The most sumptuously celebrated
period - Ostatki (the Shrovetide), those are
days between so called Tłusty Czwartek
(Fat Thursday) and Kusy Wtorek (Scanty
Tuesday) in other words between the
Thursday and Shrove Tuesday,
preceding Ash Wednesday.
It was a merry time of games, dances and
mutual visits with a profuse repast.
At the manors joyous celebration lasted
continuously, a neighbors have visited each
other. A rich, fatty foods was to ensure
prosperity for the entire year. Also drunk
much liquor - vodka and beer, singing
traditional chants, were performing
traditional dances, had place colorful
parades and costumed performances. Folk
carnival were associated with beliefs and
rites, that having symbolize the end of winter
and the arrival of spring, and also lead to
fertility and the rich harvest.

4. The revel in manor

6. Carnival in the countryside - visit carol singers - costumed

7. Carnival in the countryside - visit carol singers - costumed

8. Carnival in the countryside - visit carol singers - costumed

9. Carnival fun in the bourgeois home

10. In the cities, sumptuous feasts, costume balls and masquerade were organized in the
palaces and manors in Poland since the sixteenth century. Former carnival did not
differ much from that of today. In the higher statesit was the time of tournaments
and huntings, rich banquets and balls. Fashionable pastime of this period were drawn
sleigh rides, which were traveling from court to court, stopping there at a banquet
and dances. Until today, survived only habit of eating donuts on Fat Tuesday.
Formely, Fat Thursday was filled of abundant food and drink, and from the
seventh/eighth century, could not miss on the tables of the sweet racuchy (kind of
pancake) donuts or faworki (crunch cakes).

11. Carnival sleigh ride
Józef Chełmooski

12. Carnival sleigh ride
Czesław Wasilewski

13. After the hunt
Czesław Wasilewski

14. Ball in the court of Henry of Valois
Władysław Bakałowicz

15. Ball in the court of Henry of Valois
Władysław Bakałowicz

16. Carnivals Ball
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

17. Der Ball
by William Hogarth

18. The ballroom at Eglinton Castle

19. Aristocrats gathering around Emperor Franz Joseph at A ball in the Hofburg Imperial Palace
painting by Wilhelm Gause

20. Carnival in Rome, Via Corso

21. Masked Ball by Giuseppe Verdi
The performance of the Opera Wroclaw

22. And at the end: Duel after prom Mascarade
The painting by Jean-Leon Gerome
Masquerading does not always end well, and under the masks can hide the evil intentions

23. Years passed and the situation has changed diametrically. The pageant of
costumed, feasts and balls disappeared as if by magic,
and remained the only discotheques and sit at tables in the last
Saturday of the carnival. Now, old habits can be seen only during folklore events.
We forget about the tradition and culture of past centuries, we contribute
to the blurring of own national identity.
This identity lies yet in the old centuries, in that what invented in the past,
not now. Our duty is to cultivate those traditions,
because without them the nation is simply dead.

24. Background sound - "Kurdesz” by Francis Bohomolec, banquet song of the eighteenth century
The illustrations - taken from accessible websites
The presentation was made by ​- Anna