According to an old Polish proverb, every man should: build a house, beget a son and plant a tree, thus laying the foundation of life. The construction and furnishing of a new house was therefore an event and undertaking of great importance. The process of building was closely connected with folk piety, numerous customs and magical practices.
Even in the selection of building material, established views were followed, rejecting trees with strange shapes and jointed trunks as harboring demons and repentant souls. Also unsuitable were specimens with lateral shoots and those struck by lightning, as they were considered unclean.
The location of a new home was also chosen extremely carefully. In doing so, the hosts were guided not only by practical considerations, such as access to water, location, access, but also took into account supernatural aspects. They were eager to choose places where ants nested, a symbol of industriousness, thrift and orderly living, as well as neighborhoods where livestock liked to stay. A house was never erected on a burn pit, in a place where lightning had struck, in an area where water once flowed or someone had committed suicide.
The first foundation was always plowed with a plow, so that the house and farm would prosper. Sometimes a bonfire was lit, where the host slept. Successful dreams were a guarantee that the place for the house was indicated by Heaven. An egg (symbol of life), a slice of bread, a handful of grain, a gold, silver or copper coin, as well as objects consecrated in the church or associated with the church, such as salt and St. Agatha's bread, herbs and garlands consecrated for Corpus Christi and Our Lady of the Herbs, cards with prayers and Gospel texts, medallions, pieces of thunderbolt, were buried under the coals so that evil spirits would not have access to the house and God's blessing would never leave it. For the same reasons, holy herbs, bread and wax from the thunderbolts were placed in the keels - special holes in the beams.
In the center of the space set aside for construction was laid an upside-down frying pan and a stove pipe. When dew gathered under the pan and ants gathered under the puck, it boded prosperity and family happiness, while otherwise it boded poverty and a poor harvest. Other practices called for pouring nine glasses of water into a bottle, closing it and burying it in the ground at the site of the cottage for ten days. If at least half a cup arrived after this period, construction began. The carpenters laid the first beams crosswise and poured holy water over them.
House construction was best begun on a full moon, Wednesday or Saturday - days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. When the doorframes were set on the abutments, it was customary to invite the priest and neighbors for the dedication of the foundations and refreshments, consisting of bread, salt and booze. The food was placed on a table covered with a white tablecloth, set where it was to stand once the construction was completed. Celebrations were held in honor of the so-called warping of the hut with music, singing and dancing around a lit bonfire. While the foundations were being laid, children from the village were summoned and beaten with rods, and were generously treated to remember this important time of the house's formation.
According to tradition, the owner nailed the last rafter, after which a green wreath was clasped at the highest point of the truss. It was welded with flowers and branches or woven into a wreath decorated with ribbons and sometimes with carpentry tools. The wreath signified the Tree of Life, which, according to accounts, was planted by God or arose from a bounty thrown by him. It was considered a symbol of spring, light, fertility and harvest.
A very important role in every home was played by the threshold, marking the boundaries of a safe space. According to the oldest beliefs, thresholds had magical protective properties. They defended against the intrusiveness of the outside world, against evil. Probably for this reason, people returning home from wandering reverently kissed the threshold, making the sign of the cross over it.
Before the house was settled, a cat, a black hen and a rooster were allowed into the empty room to take on evil forces and any misfortune. Sometimes a rooster's head was buried under the threshold as a relic of blood sacrifices in the past made to household deities. A horseshoe was nailed on the threshold or at the front door for good luck. An old wagon wheel was placed on the ridge of the roof. This was to encourage the stork, symbolizing good luck, prosperity and fertility, to make a nest.
In the Vilnius region, before moving into a new house, all corners were smeared with honey to ensure a sweet life. They were also covered with smoke from sacred garlands. Crossing the thresholds, the formula was recited: Jesus Christ be praised, and then the objects most important for the prosperity of the home were brought in - sacred images and a table (symbol of home and family life), on which bread and salt (symbols of abundance and settled life) were placed. In the past, the table served as a domestic altar. It stood in the corner of the room opposite the fire appliances, the so-called sacred corner. At the table, surrounded by benches, only ceremonial meals were eaten, such as Christmas Eve supper, a wedding feast and a wake. Food for important guests was also served on it. On a daily basis, a wooden or metal pasya stood on the table, surrounded by bouquets of artificial flowers, sometimes figurines of saints, candlesticks, prayer books and other devotional items. An important role in every home was played by a tablecloth-covered bowl used for kneading bread dough, over which the sign of the cross was always drawn.
Immediately after the introduction, a fire (symbol of the home hearth) was lit and a few drops of alcohol were poured into the flames as a sacrifice. The hearth was considered a sacred area that was not to be disrespected or desecrated. The surroundings of the stove and hearth were always kept in impeccable order. Every day they were carefully swept, removing all impurities, so that the guardian spirits living in the nooks and crevices would not stumble over them. The housewives, by old custom, would put up a treat for them, consisting of bread crumbs or cake, milk in a nut shell or lumps of porridge.
Every new house had to be consecrated by a priest. In cases where the clergyman could not do so, this duty was done by the householders themselves at the time the house was settled. The eldest or most important of the relatives present would dip a few ears of straw or an Easter palm in the holy water and sprinkle the interior on all four sides with it. He did the same for the door and chimney.
An indispensable custom associated with the settlement of a house was a festive feast at which people enjoyed themselves until dawn. This was because it was believed that whoever in the new house would fall asleep early - would part with life early. The first sleep in the new place was important. It was treated as a prophetic dream and tried to remember it.
Certain rituals associated with building a house are still used today. Some of them are typically secular, others have their roots in religion. Many people cultivate the custom of having the building ordained by a priest, while others hang a horseshoe near the entrance to ensure good luck.
Text: Joanna Radziewicz
Photo: polona.pl - public domain
Sources:
1. Czerwiński, T.: Equipment of a country house in Poland. Warsaw: Sport and Tourism - Muza, 2009.
2. Ogrodowska, B.: Polish family traditions and customs. Warsaw: Sport and Tourism - Muza, 2008.
3. Stańczuk M.: Construction and settlements of the house in the old folk culture. Nature Poland. Nature and Health Supplement 2016 no. 7, pp. 11-12.
