Autumn in Poland is a great time for tourism. The weather is pleasant and there are many harvest festivals. In the cities, summer hotel pressure is finished and the crowds have diminished. In the resort areas from Sopot to Gdansk (Baltic sea-shore) traffic has diminished. In the interior and folk country (rural) there is a saying. It is now the “Golden Time”.
Bieszczady Mountains
There is a short period of time every autumn in Poland called ‘Golden Polish Autumn’. According to custom the phrase comes from Wincenty Pol’s poem, “In the Autumn”.
Na jesieni
….Coraz ciszej. Wrzesień! Wrzesień!
Słońce rzuca blask z ukosa
I dzień krótszy, chłodna rosa –
Ha, i jesień – polska jesień!
O, jesieni złota nasza!
Tyś jak darów Boża czasza,
Dziwnie mądra, pełna części
I kojącej pełna treści…
In the Autumn
… More and more quietly. September! September!
The sun casts a glow of sidelong
And shorter days, cool dew
Ha, and autumn – Polish autumn!
Oh, our gold autumn!
You are God’s gifts as a canopy,
Strangely wise, full of
And soothing full content …
Golden Polish Autumn, (Złota Polska Jesień) – that’s the phrase commonly used to describe this season. Summer is gone, the winter is approaching but the weather is great now and it is time to celebrate and ejoy the colors. The trees are golden and rusty
In Krakow, the giant park Park Jordana, is a do not miss as the trees are changing at their peek. It should be on a ‘bucket list’.
The giant star Arius is bright and directly overhead and in Poland, astronomical autumn is beginning. The ‘Autumnal Equinox’ has commenced and the passage from Summer to Fall is beginning.
The farmers are starting the Dozynki. Harvest festivals that celebrate gratitude for nature’s bounty and winter preparations are all in full swing. The Polish harvest festivals are a custom of many centuries and little has changed. The traditions continue. The festivals celebrate the work of the farmer. Music, dancing, great food and colorful apparel, any Dozynki is worth attending. In America many social organizations and Polish churches have Dozynki Festivals.
‘Dożynki’ celebrated in Yorkville, IL by The Alliance of Polish Clubs in the USA. Photo: POLISH NEWS
This all means it is the first days of Autumn in the northern hemisphere. The sunlight and days are starting to get shorter.
So, the Golden Polish Autumn is a period of few days sometime between the end of September and the beginning of October, when fewer sunny days come after the initial drop of temperature. The Golden Autumn lasts in Poland usually less than two weeks. One of the best regions to see in Autumn is Zakopane –southern part of Poland. Zakopane lies at the feet of the Tatra Mountains. Beautiful are also Bieszczady Mountains south-east of Poland, extending into Ukraine and Slovakia . From Krakow to Rzeszow and Zakopane the drive is full of color this time.
The ‘Dożynki’ Festivals in Poland are truly ”bardzo piękne”-very beautiful.
Tatra Mountains in Poland.
So, for preparation …….this year…….next year……anytime soon, the Golden Polish Autumn is a great time to plan a visit or plan a Dożynki party.
Raymond Rolak
‘Czas Polski’