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Carnival in Krakow: weeks of
partying.
Krakow’s carnival traditions, largely forgotten
today, match those of Venice, Rio de Janeiro or New Orleans.
Yet today, as in the past, the city enjoys a long season of
merriment that lasts from the New Year’s Eve till the Shrove
Tuesday some two months later. It is marked by feverish
partying in Krakow’s numerous clubs on the one hand, and
snobbish charity balls on the other.
New Year's Eve
merrymaking is a must worldwide but on that night Krakow’s
entire Old Town historical district turns
into one giant ballroom. Thousands of revelers swarm its
huge Grand Square with the adjacent streets
in frenzied rejoicing and pack into the area’s countless
clubs, cafes and restaurants. Such is the beginning of
Krakow’s long carnival season which ends with the Shrove
Tuesday frolics several weeks later.
Fat
Thursday, the last one before the Ash Wednesday, is a
festival of overeating when every Krakow dweller devours the Fat
Thursday specials: ‘favorki’ crunch cakes and the Polish
doughnuts (balls with rose-petals jam filling) which are a
must-eat treat on that day.
Shrovetide
(Polish ‘Ostatki’ or ‘Zapusty’) crowns
Krakow’s two-month carnival season. It spans over the last five
days before the Lent. The Shrove Tuesday’s ‘sledziowka’
festivities traditionally last till dawn on the Ash Wednesday
and they end with the Lent meal of herring after which repentant
revelers go straight to the church to have their foreheads
strewn with ash.
Krakow Folk Traditions
Krakow region has always been rich in colorful folk traditions,
handed down from generation to generation.
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Krakow Festivals
Hardly a month passes in Krakow without some time-honored
occasion for common festivities or colorful celebration.
Notable Krakow events
Updates on current and upcoming events.
Culture Festivals
in Krakow
Christmas in
Krakow
Why the ancient capital of Poland deserves a title of
the world capital of Christmas.
Easter in Krakow
The paramount Christian feast has a special meaning and
a distinct quality in springtime Krakow with its rich Catholic
traditions and abundance of beautiful churches.
Good hotels in Krakow
Beauty parlors in Krakow
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