January
In January those who are interested can get acquainted with the custom called ptači kwas - the Birds' Wedding. The month of January has 31 days and it is so frozen and hard as a horn. Therefore, the Sorbs of Upper Lusatia call it wulki róžk (a big horn). For the Sorbs of Lower Lusatia it is the month in the middle of zyma (winter), therefore, it is called wezymski.
Ptači kwas - The Birds' Wedding
There
is a custom in Upper Lusatia that in the morning on 25 January children
put a plate on the window sill or in front of the door so that birds,
celebrating the birds' wedding on that day, can put various sweet things
there. It is said that in this way birds express their gratitude to children
for feeding them during the winter months. The roots of this custom have
not been unambiguously explained yet.
Its popularity gave rise to a number of new forms - mainly in schools and nursery schools. In many places in Lusatia, nursery schools in particular hold "wedding" processions through the village with sroka a hawron (the magpie and the raven respectively) leading on.
Attractive wedding processions of children in the wedding forms of national costumes can be admired in the region of the Catholic Sorbs, in some places in Lower Lusatia and in the Slepo and Wojerecy neighbourhoods.
Ptači kwas (Birds' Wedding) in the Sorbian nursery school in Chróscicy (Crostwitz)
For the children in our nursery school, preparations for the festive day start at the beginning of the month already. The bride and groom are chosen and on the day of the Birds' Wedding it is these two who walk at the head of the procession together with the braška. The braška is a singular character in our region. He is the Master of Ceremonies at weddings, and that is why he is part of our ptaci kwas.
What would such a feast be without the festive wear? Therefore, especially girls put on the festive form of the Sorbian Catholic costume on this occasion. For our children the day of the Birds' Wedding begins quite early because to put on a festive costume takes about one and a half hour. All the inconveniences and the obligation to sit quietly are, however, forgotten when with the first rays of the sun the wedding procession makes its introduction to the villagers. In our programme we try to entertain the pupils and teachers of the Primary School in Chrósćicy as well as the inhabitants of the Community Care Centre in Smječkecy (Schmeckwitz).
Angela Młynkowa, Chrósćicy (Crostwitz)
The tradition of the ptači kwas (Birds' Wedding) performances for adults
Since the foundation of the Bautzen society named the Nadźija (Hope) in 1920, adults have celebrated the ptaci kwas every year as well. At first, theatre performances or concerts were given on the occasion. In 1937, however, it was forbidden to use the Sorbian language in public, and the ban on all Sorbian cultural activities was imposed soon after.
After the Second World War, Birds' Wedding programmes were prepared and performed by Sorbian folklore groups. Later these events began to be prepared by the Sorbian Folk Ensemble established in 1952. In addition to about ten performances for adults, this body gives also about thirty performances of a special show for children.
Moreover, in the shop windows of the bakeries we may see as well that bilingual Lusatia celebrates the ptaci kwas. In addition to traditional, well-known small pastry birds called sroka, meringue birds, bird nestles and other delicacies special to the occasion are on the display.
How to make the pastry sroka (magpie)?
The dough you need is made of flour, milk, fat, sugar, yeast, a bit of salt and various aroma flavours, such as vanilla, lemon or almond essences. After the dough has risen, knead it and, using both hands, roll out into a conic, snake-like shape which you then tie. The knot stands for the head and body, the rest is the tail. The tail can be further formed by skilful lengthwise cuts. Finally, eyes, made of two currants, are the final touch to the little bird. Then it remains but to wait for about twenty minutes before the sroka is ready being baked at 220 C. To improve the taste further, the cooled-off birds are sugarcoated or brushed over with melted butter and sprinkled with icing sugar.
the Scholze bakery, Róžant (Rosenthal)
