Marzenna (Poland)

Marzenna

Themes: Spring; Weather; Protection; Winter; Death; Rebirth; Cycles; Change; Growth.


Symbols: Doll (poppet); Water (including ice and snow).


About Marzenna: The Polish goddess for whom this holiday is named represents an odd combination of winter, death, and the fruit field’s growth and fertility. As such, she oversees the earth’s transition from death to rebirth and likewise oversees the transitions we wish to make in our lives.


To Do Today: Marzenna is a Polish spring festival during which an effigy of Marzenna is tossed into a river to overcome her wintery nature and ensure that there will be no floods that year. This tradition is likely an antecedent of ancient river sacrifices made to appease the water spirits. Following suit, resolutely throw a biodegradable image of something you wish to overcome this season into any moving water source (even your toilet!). Let Marzenna carry it away, slowly breaking down the negative energy and replacing it with personal growth. Burying an image has the same effect.

To invoke Marzenna’s protection until next winter, write your name and birth date on a piece of paper and freeze it in an ice cube. Keep the cube in a safe place in the back of your freezer to keep yourself surrounded by Marzenna’s safe barrier. Melt the ice cube later in the year if you need a boost of spring’s revitalizing energy.


(c) 365 Goddess by Patricia Telesco - Copyright 1998
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