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The very Polish tradition - Tlusty Czwartek
Tlusty Czwartek means Fat Thursday. This is the Polish celebration in Poland.
Whenever I talked to my friends in Chicago and Detroit they assured me that
this very Polish tradition is continuously observed by Polonia in America. It was
referred to me as Mardi Gras. I never realized before, that Mardi Gras is French
for Fat Tuesday and Tlusty Czwartek is being observed by Polish Americans
on the last Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
To make sure that in fact in Polish
American community the Fat Thursday was adopted to be Mardi Gras and
became Fat Tuesday I searched the subject and sure enough I found many
references to it with National Paczki Promotional Board in Michigan
at 1-800-884-1500. The President Pat Lawrey (mother's maiden name: Honezinski)
assured me that this year the celebration of Paczki Day is February 24,
as usual just a day before Ash Wednesday.
Nice article about the feast
appears on the Polish American Journal web site:
www.polamjournal.com/Library/Holidays/paczki/body_paczki.html
Other interesting reading on the same subject:
www.nynews.com/newsroom/021804/e01w18abigail.html
www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf
www.pumpernick.com/paczki.html
I did not find any references to "Sledzik" - another Polish tradition. I think this
is due to the fact that "Sledzik" is being celebrated in Poland on Tuesday before
the Ash Wednesday. It would be somewhat awkward to celebrate both
at the same time. Sledzik means herring in Polish, and usually is marinated with vinegar.
Whichever taste you pick, Happy celebrations from www.poloniasf.org !!!
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