OUT ON THE TOWN
CULTURE
Easter in the City
Although last week's weather would make a perfect Christmas setting, it is actually Easter, a festival that at least some of you may want to celebrate during the upcoming weekend. And Warsaw shouldn't disappoint you either with its religious or gastronomic holiday offerings.
To console your troubled souls, the International Catholic Community of Warsaw, congregating at ul. Radna 14, will celebrate a special Easter Mass at 6:30 p.m. on Maundy Thursday, April 17, the Passion of Our Lord at 5 p.m. on Good Friday, April 18, and Easter Sunday Mass at 11:30 a.m. on April 20.
The Warsaw International Church will hold its Holy Week Services on April 17 with Holy Communion at 7:30 p.m. at ul. Willowa 1. There will be an Easter service at 11 a.m. on April 18 at ul. Miodowa 21B and an Easter celebration at 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday at the same location.
Also on April 18, the acclaimed Alla Polacca Children's Choir, conducted by Sabina Włodarska, will perform the Lenten Concert in the main lobby of the National Opera/Theater at 6 p.m., tickets zł. 20. Judging by the choir's performance of Christmas carols last year, it's likely to be an event worth recommending even if religious songs are not your usual kind of fun.
From the gastronomic point of view, Easter in Poland is yet another occasion to put on a few stones here and there by tasting the delicacies of the regional cuisine. All the goodies, including traditional Easter cakes, sausages and most importantly, eggs, are available to order from the food outlets at major Warsaw hotels, such as the Bristol, Sheraton, Mercure and Marriott, as well as restaurants that specialize in Polish fare, including Restauracja Polska, Dom Polski and Fukier, to name a few.
And don't leave the house on Easter Monday unless you want to become acquainted with another Polish Easter tradition known as Śmigus-Dyngus, which is all about pouring cold water on the people who least expect it. However ridiculous and cruel it may seem in the city, this custom has its origins in courtship in traditional village life.
Prisoner's memories
If you've read the autobiography or saw the movie "The Pianist," which tells the tragic story of a Jewish musician who miraculously survived the Holocaust in a very detached and matter-of-fact manner, you probably already have some idea of the history of the Jewish people in Warsaw. This year, there will be a series of events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
As a part of this program, the Zachęta Gallery, together with the Israeli embassy in Warsaw, will present a sculpture exhibition by the Israeli artist Samuel Willenberg. Consisting of a small number of bronze sculptures and drawings, the intimate exhibition dates back to the tragic days of World War II, and documents the life of the artist, who escaped from the Treblinka concentration camp. The viewer is struck by a recurring element of the grotesque and absurd throughout the works. It is as if the artist is refusing to accept the tragedy by depriving it of its solemnity.
"Treblinka: Prisoner's Memories" will be on display until May 4 in the Zachęta Gallery's Small Hall, pl. Małachowskiego 3., Tue.-Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., tickets zł.10/7, Thur. free.
