The Polish lucky charm: strength and renewal
Poland is a nation whose history is among the darkest and tumultuous in the world. Summing up Central Europe for several centuries, Poland enjoyed greatness and prosperity. ..before sinking and finally disappearing at the end of the 18th century. Fortunately, even if the nation no longer existed, the soul of the Polish people remained intact. It is therefore the strength of a nation which had to fight to survive which is found in the Polish lucky charm.
Poland has been Catholic for a long time. This country is also one of the most fervent in the world . This is perhaps one of the things that helped them surpass themselves. Obviously, this characteristic is also sometimes found in the Polish lucky charm.
Poland has therefore experienced dark chapters throughout its history. For more than a century, it was occupied by its direct neighbors, including Germany and Russia. Between Nazi and then communist occupation, the recent history of the country is, to say the least,... eventful.
However, faced with the determination of the Poles, foreign leaders had no choice but to let local culture flourish. Ancient folklore, a fervent practice of the Christian religion and strong patriotism are their main weapons.
Greatness, fall and courage : to be interested in the Polish lucky charm is to be interested in the history of a people from whom we would all do well to be inspired.
A country centered on family
Poland is one of the rare countries in the world to have managed to maintain a homogeneous ethnic group over time.
Despite the presence of some German, Slovak or Ukrainian minorities along the borders , the base of the people has remained the same for centuries. Obviously , this is felt in the Polish lucky charm.
Historically, there are actually five distinct Polish strains, each with its own language, folklore and culture.
All, although having their differences, give the same importance to family, religion and patriotism.
For Poles, the social structure is above all that of the family, first close then extended, and then of the community in the broad sense.
In this sense, Polish culture can be quite hermetic to foreigners, who sometimes encounter difficulty assimilating into these united cores.
Poland: a land torn between different faiths
Polish identity is deeply rooted in a dark and glorious historical past. Let's say it from the outset, Polish lucky charms are deeply marked by the different religions that the country has seen.
For centuries, Poland was the last bastion of Christianity.
At the very beginning of European Christian civilization, this land constituted the limit with the pagans of the North and the East.
This attachment to the values and morals of the Church was not, however, self-evident: for millennia, the Slavs of Poland in fact practiced a kind of paganism, of that specific to the ancient peoples of Europe.
This presence of a double religious attachment (to Christianity and Paganism therefore) is something so anchored in their DNA that the Poles even gave them a name. They speak of “ dwojwierny ”.
Their Christian attachment, however, is beyond doubt, and the Poles had the opportunity to prove it more than once throughout history.
Later, in the Middle Ages, the Poles defeated the Crimean Tatars (a Muslim people) and thus protected the center of Europe.
During the Ottoman conquest, Polish intervention was decisive and led to victory in the siege of Vienna, then synonymous with the preservation of the Catholic faith.
In short, to understand the Polish lucky charm, it may be wise to take an interest in both Christian symbols and those from European paganism.
A lucky charm you won't see here: the Jew with the silver coin
It's clear: there must necessarily be a multitude of lucky charms in Poland.
There's one we'd like to tell you about now. This is the Jew with the silver coin.
There is in fact a Polish tradition which would say that an image of a Jew counting coins, piling them up or transporting them can attract success and prosperity to the person who holds it.
Known as “ Żydki ”, this lucky charm quickly appears to be anti-Semitic and insulting to the Jewish community. In a country which is experiencing the atrocities of the Second World War at their peak, it is normal that such a symbol becomes taboo.
We will therefore not offer a Jewish gold coin on our site, but we still wanted to talk about it so that you know that there is such a lucky charm in Poland.
