First day of spring with a workshop for the Polish doll "Mazanna"

First On March 22, 2025 (Saturday) from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Ethnographic Exhibition of the Regional Museum of History in Burgas at 69 Slavyanska Street, workshops dedicated to the making of the traditional Polish doll "Mazanna" will be held. The event, part of the "Poland Teaches Polishness" series, is organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Institute in Sofia and will be attended by Ms. The event, part of the "Polonia Teaches Polishness" cycle, is organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Institute in Sofia and will be attended by Ms. Malgorzata Hejduk-Gromek, Consul of the Republic of Poland in Bulgaria.
Participants in the workshops are Poles living in Bulgaria and children from the DIY workshop at the Izgrev 1909 Community Center. Under the guidance of Ms. Maria Kozarova, a member of the Polish community in Bulgaria, they will make traditional dolls called Mazanny, which, according to Polish tradition, should be thrown into the water or burned to summon spring.
Mazanna is the name of the Slavic goddess of winter and death, as well as rebirth. Since pagan times in Poland, on the first day of spring, i.e. March 21, it has been customary to drown or burn Mazanna, the straw doll representing the goddess. In ancient times, the doll was made of straw, wrapped in white cloth, and decorated with ribbons and beads. Tradition dictates that a procession with the doll and children carrying green pine branches in their hands should go around all the houses in the village. Along the way, they dip Mazhana in every body of water they encounter. In the evening, young men take the doll. With lit pine branches, they carry Mazhana out of the village, set her on fire, and throw her into the water.



During the one-day workshop, Ms. Maria Kozarova will also present her handmade collection of dolls dressed in Polish folk costumes. Ms. Kozarova has been living in Bulgaria for more than 50 years, which she considers her second home. For 33 years, she was a teacher at a primary school in the city of Stara Zagora. She has been actively working to promote Poland and Polish culture in the association "Ethnosvet Bulgaria," which brings together several ethnic and national groups living in Bulgaria. Ms. Kozarova sews Polish folk costumes herself. The dolls, dressed in various traditional costumes, are presented during events promoting Polish history and culture. In 2000, for her active work for the Polish diaspora, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded her the Silver Cross of Merit, and in 2016, the Gold Cross of Merit, 1st class.

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