Winter

The winter on Kaszuby is the time of having rest, the time of plays, festivals and celebrations. Years ago, during the long winter evenings the youth visited their neighbors and in the fantastic atmosphere they were spinning together. The most beautiful festival on Kaszuby is Christmas one. The characteristic feature here is the time of beginning, which is very early - already during Advent.

• Before Christmas Eve
• Christmas
• Carollers
• New Year's Eve
• Carnivals

Going with the creche begins two weeks before the Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, in some of kashubian regions, in the evening the youth celebrated this occasion on fields and in gardens. People asked for the harvest during the evening plays and dances. The whole family prepared to the Christmas Day.

In the Christmas Eve the host brought to the house a small sheaf of cereal, which stood in the corner during the whole festival. It had to bring happiness to the house. Today people have a Christmas tree instead of it. Under the tablecloth lied a straw. Another tradition was 12 dishes on the table. There are always some fish and a very characteristic is also a kashubian bread. What is very important it should be tableware for unknown person at the table. Years ago some food was brought to house-animals. That gest would make breeding easier. With the wafer's tradition appearing, host gives it to animals too. Animals probably can talk at this night, but on Kaszuby nobody can hear them, because it can bring a bad luck. Sharing wafer and taking greetings became a tradition, similarly to the Christmas tree. Important is to forgive others on this day. The supper began about 18.00 - 19.00, when the first star appeared on the sky. In this time carolers come.

At the New Year's Eve a lot of different parties are organized. They finish the old year and begin the new, but they are not a folk tradition. It is still possible to find old customs on Kaszuby. They include, tricks given mostly by teenagers to inhabitants. They can do almost everything, even displace the car. They make plenty of pranks. Years ago, with the aim of booking the charm, girls and boys walked around all buildings in the evening, they rang bells and sang many songs. At the midnight the youth went on the streets almost to its outskirts, and those young people drove bad ghosts away. They welcome the New Year with loud music and shooting. During this night, between 23.00 and 14.00 girls stand in front of the mirror and they stare into it, until they see their future husbands. When the husband appears, girls mustn't say his name loudly, because he can die then.

Carnivals. From the Three Kings Day to the carnival lasts the time called the same (it is called: Carnival). It is the time full of parties, dances. Years ago during the carnival baking seed cakes were a regional tradition. Even the poor ate that day meat. It was because of kashubian proverb: "Chto w zapustë nie je miasa, tego mëgi ob lato zjedza". People were dancing for a long time (kashubian proverb says: "zapustni tuńc, zdrowia kuńc" or "chto w zapustne nie tuńczy, temu len nie rosce"). Kashubian from Bytów celebrated their carnival customs almost always in public houses. The custom of dressing-up in this time became a tradition and it is the popular tradition still today. People can do various frolics and pranks. All of them can last till midnight. After this we approaches a Lent, silence and calmness. On Ash Wednesday our heads are poured by ash, we regret our sins and we get forgiveness.