Piotr Kowalczuk
Extraordinary faith and vibrancy
As Vatican News reports, Father Zbigniew Jaroszewski, the parish priest of Myszyniec, states that the local Corpus Christi procession, organized in accordance with local traditions, has been held for almost four centuries.
“It has always had a deep spiritual and folk dimension. And this year, we want to show all of Poland the deep and spiritual relationship of the Kurpie people with Jesus, but also our folk traditions – through beautiful costumes and a very colorful procession,” says Father Jaroszewski.
The celebrations in Myszyniec will be broadcast on TVP 1 and TVP Polonia. At 11:00 AM, Holy Mass will begin, presided over by Bishop Janusz Stepnowski from the local Minor Basilica, and from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, a grand procession will take place in Myszyniec.
“I hope that the celebration will be a strengthening of faith, but also a testament to our Polish religiosity and our culture,” adds the parish priest.
Intangible cultural heritage
The faithful participating in the procession wear traditional, richly decorated Kurpie costumes. In the procession, they carry antique, several-meter-long banners and feretories belonging to individual villages and families. Women and men traditionally carry them in separate groups. The priests’ chasubles are adorned with regional embroidery.
Residents prepare four field altars and create decorations – paper cut-outs, tissue paper flowers, or woven striped bedspreads.
Known for their piety, the Kurpie people treat the procession as an opportunity to publicly express their religiosity, attachment to the Church, and deeply rooted local tradition. As Father Zbigniew Jaroszewski, the parish priest, emphasizes, this celebration is uniquely experienced in Kurpie and Myszyniec. It is characterized by the extraordinary faith of the participants and magnificent vibrancy.
Procession as cultural heritage
Myszyniec’s Corpus Christi is a very important, unique element of Kurpie culture and traditions. As an original and significant religious and cultural event, it was entered onto the national list of intangible cultural heritage last year.
The Myszyniec procession was famous even before the war
It is estimated that the first Corpus Christi procession in Myszyniec took place in 1774, and the first description was written a year later. Over time, the unique procession reached the media. In 1935, “Ekspress Poranny” described it. In 1937, the magazine for French-speaking Swiss, “Le Matin,” wrote about it.
That same year, the procession was filmed by a team from the Polish Telegraphic Agency, and “Kurier Poranny” devoted considerable attention to it.
Today, the Corpus Christi procession in Myszyniec is not only a religious service. It is also a tourist attraction.
A wonderfully illustrated description and history of the Kurpie procession can be found in Tomasz Mierzejek’s book “Boże Ciało w Myszyńcu – tradycja, wiara, wspólnota” (Corpus Christi in Myszyniec – tradition, faith, community) published by the Society of Friends of Myszyniec.
