By 11 a.m. on the morning of January 6 we were ready to explore Krakow, or at least the immediate vicinity around Florianska Street. We left the keys with the desk clerk (a typical practice at many European inns) and headed out the front door and into a parade that was just beginning. The parade featured people wearing crowns and capes, and other people carrying loudspeakers amplifying a song repeating the word "gloria" over and over again. A number of individuals distributed stickers and paper crowns. And all of this was in honor of the feast of the Three Kings. It's never been something I've experienced, but Cindy had participated in a Three Kings celebration in Mexico.
At first I thought we'd be able to stand on the sidelines to watch the parade pass by, but the parade soon enveloped us and we found ourselves marching along with the crowd.
I looked up the Feast of the Three Kings, or the Epiphany, as celebrated in Poland, and learned that people go to church carrying a small box containing a piece of chalk, a ring, incense and a small piece of amber. The items are meant to represent the gifts of the magi. Once the items have been blessed, the faithful pilgrim returns home and marks the lintel with the date and letters K, M and B (Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar), with crosses between each of the letters. So the marking over the doorway would read 20+K+M+B+13 for this year. The blessing is meant to protect the inhabitants from illness or misfortune. We didn't see the markings, but I learned that it's meant to last all
year unless the elements, or some other kind of accident dusts off or
cleans off the marking.
As is true in many countries, people bake a Three Kings cake with a hidden almond or coin. The person whose piece contains the almond or coin is responsible for hosting the next party. The feast represents the end of
swiete wieczory or the twelve holy nights which begin on Christmas day, and the commencement of
zapusty, or carnival.
We continued down Florianska and found ourselves headed to
Kosciol Mariacki, aka, the Basilica of the Virgin Mary.
I learned that this is among the most famous, if not THE most famous, of Poland's churches. The claim I read was that the Gothic edifice replaced the Romanesque facade by the end of the 13th century.
The Gothic spire, pictured here, dates to 1478. The crown (gold-plated) is from 1666. This tower apparently belongs to the municipality of Krakow. The Krakow "signal" plays from this tower every hour.
We entered the Rynek Glowny, or Grand Square.
The building in the upper third of the photo is the Cloth Market, "arguably" the world's oldest shopping mall. It's been a center of commerce for 700 years. The structure has been refurbished and rebuilt, most recently at the end of the 19th century.
It's hard to see in this shot, but the roof points are capped by groteseque masks.
The tower to the left of the Cloth Hall is the leaning Town Hall Tower. Originally constructed in the 13th century, a strong wind at the beginning of the 18th century caused the tower to lean by 55 centimeters. The cellar beneath the tower used to contain the dungeon and torture chambers. Now the space is used as a cafe and theater.
The people congregating in the square were drawn to the stage featuring a Three Kings' musical performance. It was clearly a festive and religious celebration.
The square was filled with booths featuring foods and crafts.
The square is also home to St. Adalbert's Church, a tiny church dating back to the 13th century (it must have been a happening time!).
The interior accommodated about 30 people, and we learned that they were planning a concert that evening.
We couldn't go to the concert, but we were able to sit inside while we waited for our tour guide to show us the old town.
The Old Town tour is the stuff of tomorrow's post. Stay tuned.
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