The two holiday days differed from today in one fundamental respect 100 years ago: there was no Internet and, consequently, people did not spend as much time in front of phone screens. The second significant difference stemmed from the fact that the overwhelming majority of town residents in Silesia were Protestants.
Easter cleaning is something that connects us with housewives from a century ago. Women were mainly responsible for cleaning apartments and yards, but in 1920 cleaning companies were also hired. We learn about one such company from the advertisements section of “Liegnitzer Tageblatt.” Otto Angelban’s company offered thorough apartment cleaning in a way that was not bothersome to the residents. It cost between 5 and 15 marks, the same as a pair of new shoes.
IMI powder—cleanliness for the holidays
Not everyone, just as today, could afford such a luxury. It was an offer for wealthy people or single bachelors who, because of their social position, were not expected to pick up a broom. In the 1920s, such a service was an absolute novelty on the market.
In those days, wealthy town residents employed domestic help every day to do the laundry, cleaning and cooking. Therefore, we do not know whether the cleaning company’s offer was successful.
Cleaning products were advertised before the holidays, and more intensively than at other times. The advertisements appeared in the press. In 1920, IMI powder for washing dishes, rinsing and cleaning was said to be the best product. The powder was also popular in Poland. Posters advertising it can be seen at the Irena and Mieczysław Mazaraki Museum in Chrzanów.
New outfits for spring
Easter is associated with spring, and spring meant changing one’s wardrobe. This was when merchants and tailors became active. They extensively advertised the latest fashion trends from Paris, Berlin and Milan and encouraged the women of Bunzlau to buy new outfits.
The women of Bunzlau were expected to wear new dresses and light coats on Easter Monday during the obligatory walk. There were several places in Bunzlau where such purchases could be made, including Theophil Rosenthal’s department store in a tenement house in the market square, today no. 15. Customers could buy costumes, skirts, coats, hats and, of course, underwear, which was not advertised because in those days it was not proper to publicly mention what a woman wore under her clothes. Corsets were an exception, especially rubber ones, which were promoted rather boldly in the daily press as an absolute sensation.
Easter dishes
During Easter, the egg was the most important food. Boiled eggs formed the basis of holiday dishes. They were used in salads and snacks and stuffed with various fillings. Prepared on Holy Saturday, they were served cold or covered with hot sauces.
Every housewife had her own methods for preparing flavored mayonnaises, which in no way—not even in appearance—resembled today’s mayonnaise. Their color, consistency and, above all, taste varied. Large quantities of seasonings were used, sometimes the most exotic ones.
As today, a holiday delicacy was rabbit in cream, but the tables also featured cold cuts made by local master butchers. Butchers slaughtered animals in the back rooms of their shops. They personally butchered the carcasses and turned the meat into delicious cold cuts.
During Holy Week, fish purchased from fish merchants’ shops most often appeared on residents’ tables. Holy Saturday was the last day of preparations for Easter. Cakes were baked on Saturday. German housewives most often baked sand cakes covered with icing mixed by hand. Few people used Dr. Oetker’s baking powders, but they were already on sale at that time.
Protestant Easter and Catholic Easter
For most residents, Easter began on Good Friday. Protestants place particular emphasis in their rituals on the day of Christ’s crucifixion. Good Friday began before sunrise. At dawn, people left every house for a walk. At the nearest river, they silently collected water in a vessel they had brought with them. It was a kind of ritual that had nothing to do with our Dyngus. No one poured the river water over anyone else—it was used for morning ablutions. This custom was believed to ensure happiness and prosperity throughout the year.
That day, Catholics worked and served shifts in municipal services whose operations were necessary for the normal functioning of the town. In return, Protestants “gave” Catholics a day off on Corpus Christi.
Sunday, the first day of the holiday, was spent at home. Apart from attending a service, no one went out. The only attraction prepared for children was nests with Easter gifts hidden in various places. Half the day was spent searching for the hidden presents. Adults spent their time decorously at the table.
Monday, however, was a day of extraordinary social activity. Every family went for a walk. They visited the town park or nearby villages, where numerous pubs, inns and taverns awaited visitors. Easter Monday marked the beginning of the spring walking season.
Although much has changed over the past century, certain rituals and customs have remained unchanged.
(The text was based on an article by Artur Guzicki published in Konkretach in 2001)