Origin of the Warzyńcowe Hudy folk custom in the Beskid Żywiecki region
Wawrzyńcowe Hudy is a folk custom associated with bonfires. It is performed in the southwestern part of the Beskid Żywiecki mountain region of Poland. The custom’s name is associated with St. Laurence, the patron saint of a local parish. The core of the ceremony consists of setting a “ huda ” structure on fire. A huda is an appropriately built and decorated wooden bonfire, around which dances and chanting are held. The meaning of the core custom includes several elements common in the Beskid highlander’s ceremonial customs, such as an assurance of agricultural abundance, strengthening of the Sun’s benevolent power, as well as the preservation of one’s farm from all types of evil forces. The paper describes two most probable hypotheses concerning the origin of the Wawrzyńcowe Hudy custom. The first hypothesis states that this custom had evolved from a magical rite that was believed to repel plague and other disasters that had visited the study area in the past. The link between this custom and St. Wawrzyniec, as an element of the Christianization of local communities, has become the basis for the annual performance of this particular ritual. The second hypothesis presumes the existence of a shepherd’s or agricultural holiday held in the middle of summer, which was probably linked with the culmination of some part of work in agricultural fields or grasslands. For this holiday, common magical rites were combined with agriculture. Later, the custom was moved to the feast of the local patron saint.
