In Poland, Corpus Christi is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.
Large groups of people take part in outdoor processions in villages, towns, and cities. The processions include children dressed in white who scatter flower petals on the streets. Some of the procession’s participants stop to pray at temporary shrines. Many homes are decorated with religious icons during the Corpus Christi celebration.
The most beautiful procession in Poland is held in Myszyniec, Kurpie, celebrating Corpus Christi in a unique way.
Kurpie is one of several ethnic regions in mid-northeastern Poland, noted for its unique traditional customs, including its own types of traditional costume, dance, and distinctive architecture and livelihoods. Kurpie is also the name of the people of this culture.
"The Corpus Christi procession in Myszyniec is a living tradition deeply rooted in the Kurpie culture, dating back to 1774. Despite the passage of time, it has retained many unchanging elements that testify to the continuity of the local heritage," says the description of the National Institute of Culture.
During the ceremony, priests wear chasubles with regional embroidery, the liturgy includes elements of the Kurpie dialect, and a monstrance from 1731 is carried during the procession. The shape of the procession, its layout (carrying individual historic banners, feretrons, and standards), which are assigned to specific villages and families, has remained unchanged for years.
The Corpus Christi procession in Myszyniec owes its unique character, among other things, to the fact that its participants march in large numbers in traditional Kurpie folk clothing.
