erinthul

Drowning of Marzanna

Added 2024-04-03 20:32:08 +0000 UTC

Mara, Mara! Beautiful Lady!
Your reign is over.
We say goodbye to you and leave our worries to you for the journey!
Take them with you, across the blue sea, across the Viburnum Bridge, to the land from which they cannot escape!
Come back here at the right time to give rest to the tortured land again.
Go away dead!
Go away old!
We burn fires!

Marzanna is the Polish name for a Slavic goddess associated with death, winter and nature. Every year, on the first day of spring, people would make an effigy, set it on fire, and then drown it in a river. The aim of this pagan ritual is to chase off winter and encourage the return of springtime. Marzanna doll is traditionally made of straw, white canvas and red beads.

There are a few superstitions: to ensure you avoid bad luck, you must be careful not to touch the Marzanna doll while she is in the water. On the way back, you must also not look back towards where the Marzanna doll is, as this is rumored to cause illness or disease.

To create this set I got in contact with a person who still practices pagan rituals and is something of a priest for growing population of pagans in Poland (now it's an official religion here). He wrote this patr in quotes form me.

Also with this set I needed someone to help me with holding my camera and even then I got burned in a few places :(

Love, Erinthul.