Fat Thursday; A unique day for eating Special Doughnuts in Poland.

O

n the 8^th of Feb, 2024, Poles all over the world will mark the traditional celebration of Tłusty Czwartek which is literally translated as “Fat Thursday”. It is usually celebrated on the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Thus, it makes sense to say that this tradition is not marked by Gregorian Calendar rather by the Liturgical Calendar. 

As a keen lover of Polish cultures, some sources have been derived from oral traditions from older and experienced Poles who are friends with the author. Additionally, some sources are derived from opinion polls on social media.

However, it is important to mention that there may be some limitations in areas/jurisdictions not covered in this article as the Author is a passionate writer on Polish cultures and may not have been a Specialist in Polish Cultures/traditions.

As interesting as the name ‘Fat Thursday’ sounds, so are there a lot of laden values in this tradition. As a foreigner in Poland, what comes to your mind when you hear of Fat Thursday? To some people who may have experienced this day, it could just be a normal day for eating more doughnuts and sugary contents.

Far beyond the ordinary, it is the opinion of the writer to reveal some historical relevance of this act/tradition, some similarities in other states or European countries and current way of marking this day in Poland and beyond.

Historical Relevance of Fat Thursday

This unique tradition with the Poles dates back as far as 16th century.[1] Back then, pączki were known as kreple (from the German Krapfen). In the 18th century, historian Jędrzej Kitowicz, author of the fascinating treatise A Description of Customs During the Reign of August III, described modern doughnuts eaten at the court as ‘fluffy and light’, comparing them to the old-fashioned ones which could give someone a black eye when thrown at their face, thus proving that, whilst the tradition has lasted, the recipe has continued to evolve.[2]

In the same vein, some have argued that this tradition has a strong connection with the tradition of the “Servants of the Balls”. Servants of the Balls may have its origins in ancient Greek and Roman culture.[3] Remarkably, servants’ balls were often held shortly after Christmas and it is characterized by lots of  party and fun until the first week of Feb. Also, in Poland and so many European countries, this period is characterized by carnivals and lots of fun. For some people, this is in line to drive away the shades of the winter period and usher in the Spring season.

Similarly, this is also obtainable in some Central European states like Hungary.  Historically, Farsang as they call it plays a significant role in Hungarian culture, over time blending elements of pagan celebrations about expunging wintry demons from the world with more typical Christian elements. As a result, it’s a hodgepodge of festivities, beginning shortly after the New Year.[4]

Running from 6 January through to February, Farsang is hard to define to any one particular event. As such, a number of parties are hosted throughout the period to get people warmed up ready for spring. Historically, these celebrations were about the loosening of morals. It really was a period of no-rules! Nowadays things are a little more controlled and orderly, but that doesn’t stop the major towns and cities from hosting their own Farsang parties.[5]

The strong love or relationship of the Poles with Paczki is evident as well in their language, Polish. Polish is the official language in Poland and is spoken in 8 other countries as mother tongue by a part of the population.[6]  There are numerous idioms, saying and proverbs with paczki but the best known of all these are;

“One is ‘living like a doughnut in butter – żyje jak pączek w maśle’, meaning to live in a clover. Another – far less known and far more vivid saying is which is more like an admonishment to ensure no food is wasted or there is no leftover –“whoever eats what is left at the end of the carnival will be beautiful and smooth – Kto zjada ostatki, ten jest piękny I gładki”.

Similarly we also have; ‘Those who do not eat a stack of pączki on a Fat Thursday will have no luck throughout the year -  Ci, którzy nie zjedzą sterty pączków w Tłusty Czwartek, będą mieć pecha przez cały rok.”

As the last proverb indicates, doughnuts are believed to bring happiness, and refusing to eat them is considered not just rude, but also unlucky. Accordingly, contemporary Polish pastry chefs endeavour to cater even to vegan or gluten-intolerant doughnut-lovers. Although the traditional recipe calls for lard, eggs, wheat flour, and loads of sugar, new variations are being created to address every possible dietary restriction. Fillings also vary: the traditional rose preserve can be replaced with vanilla custard or chocolate ganache. The only rule is to keep them light and fluffy, which is only achieved when the yeast dough is properly aerated.[7]  For some Polish people, it is a catholic or religious holiday, whereas a greater number see it a belief in accepting one’s fate and good fortunes.

Having seen the historical expose of this tradition, one question comes to mind, are there other countries that share the same tradition line in Poland?

Fat Thursday in other Cultures/Countries.

It is true that Fat Thursday is more Popular in Poland than elsewhere but some other countries, especially Catholic countries share this in common. However, their manner of celebration and day of marking this event differ from country to country.

In Britain for instance, this day is marked on Tuesdays before Ash Wednesday. Brits call this Shrove Tuesday. In the same manner with the Brits, American communities especially those states that have more Polish immigrants mark this day on Tuesday as well. It’s popularly called ‘Fat Tuesday’. The French are not left out also in this category. The phrase “Mardi Gras” literally translates from French to “Fat Tuesday”. So basically it’s the Tuesday before Lent that you eat up all the fat and everything before the fasting begins.

On the other hand, the choice of Tuesdays has some resemblance with the Polish tradition popularly known as Śledzik or Śledziówka (Herring Night).[8] Notably, this is not popularly marked nowadays. The Tuesday following Fat Thursday (also known as the day before Ash Wednesday) is actually the last day before the Wielki Post (The Great Fast/Lent) begins. It's also the day that marks the end of the Karnawał (Carnival) period, which in many other countries is the day people will celebrate before the forty days of fasting and religious observance should begin. In Poland, on this day one could find the traditional pickled herring washed down with shots of vodka in many homes, bars and restaurants. In this year, 2023, it would be on the 21^st of February.

Unlike the Brits, the French and Americans, the Hungarians and Italians share in the same day of celebration with the Poles. The Italians call it “Giovedì Grasso”  and the Hungarians call this Torkos Csütörtök – a day for consuming excess amounts of food. Traditionally this was the Thursday before Lent, but nowadays it’s more commonly celebrated the day after Ash Wednesday.[9]

To conclude then, what are you to expect on this day in Poland and are there some recommendations for a foreigner who just arrived Poland or who have been in Poland but didn’t know much about this tradition?

Conclusion:

It is no longer news that Poland is a catholic country with rich customs and traditions that are intertwined with some religious beliefs or practices. While some contemporary Poles no longer observe this day in toto, some other mark this day specially. Among many other activities done on this day, the most common among the traditional Catholics remain the act of contemplation, meditation and burying the Alleluia.

This is the most busy day in all pastry and bakery shops as they make special doughnuts for this day. In some companies, their Leadership management or boss offers free doughnut to their employees to partake in this luck sharing tradition.

Thanks to social media, One could easily get the societal thoughts on basic events in a society.  An Opinion poll was made on Facebook with Expats and locals to find a better recommendations on which bakery has the best doughnut on this day. Below are some sample of responses from the Facebook post made;

Many locals have identified a common factor with this day which is the long queue.
So, if you are new in Poland, do not be surprised when you see this kind of queue.😊

A long Queue to the bakery shop for Paczki-Doughnuts on a Fat Thursday

Nonetheless, feel free to order some for yourself and have a feel of the Polish doughnuts sharing – Luck sharing 😊.

 

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[1] Internet Source: https://culture.pl/en/article/the-splendour-of-paczki-polish-doughnuts Accessed on 12.02.2023, 00.19 GMT.

[2] IBID.

[3] Internet Source: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/blog/2021/12/history-servants-ball/ Accessed on 12.02.2023, 1.07 GMT.

[4] Internet Sources: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/how-to-celebrate-hungarian-farsang-like-a-local/ Accesse12.02.2023, 1:30 GMT.

[5] IBID.

[6] Internet Source: https://www.worlddata.info/languages/polish.php Accessed on 12.02.2023, 00:50 GMT.

[7] Internet Source: https://culture.pl/en/article/the-splendour-of-paczki-polish-doughnuts Accessed on 12.02.2023, 1:00 GMT.

[8] Internet Sources: https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/Fat-Thursday_72507f , Accessed on 12.02.2023, 02:06 GMT.

[9] Internet Sources: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/how-to-celebrate-hungarian-farsang-like-a-local/ Accesse12.02.2023, 1:30 GMT