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Polish boys clothes religion -- First Communion chronology 20th century Polish boys clothes religion -- First Communion chronology 20th century
Polish First Communion: Chronology--The 20th Century
Figure 1.-- Here Polish children are doing thei First Communion in 1948. We are not sure about the location, perhaps Szkoly. The Soviets entered what is now Poland in the final months of World War II (late-1944/early 1945). The Soviets and the Polish Communists they installed in power attacked the Church in various ways, but did not outlaw this. We are not sure how Forst Communion as affected. The Communists attmpted to reduce the Church's access to children, especially in the schools. But as you can see here, children still did First Communions. We are not sure why the boys are doing their First Cimmunion separately.
We are not sure if the practice was increasing or deecling or what pressure was applied to discourage the practice. Hopefully Polish readers can provide some insights.
Poland underwent enormous change in the 20th century. It began as aestive province in the Tsarist Empire bent on Russification. World War I brought the reappearance of an independent Poland (1918). This ended with the NAZI ahd Soviet invasions,both intent on destoying Poland (1939). The Catholic Church was a key aspect of Polish nationlism. The NAZIs prepared plans to eliintes the POlish people as well as the country. The NAZIs invaded theSoviet Union and occupied eastern POland that had been occupied by the Soviets (1941). The Soviets drive out the NAZis and install a Communist Government (1944-45). The Communists attempt to destroy the Church, but fail. The Polish people finally ocerthrow Communis (1988). Though all this, children continued to do their First Communion, but we are unsure just how the ceremony and anility to observe it was affected. All of our information on First Communion comes from the post-World war I era when Poland gained its independence. The few examplws we have found show the children dressed much as German children dressed at the time for First Communion. In fact, it is very difficult to idestinguish Polish First Communions from German celebrations unless the children are identified. Surprisingly the great threat to the Church and First Ciommunion my be the growing seculrization of Polish society simnce the fall of Communism. Hopefully our Polish readers will provide some further details with u\information bout their First Communion experiences.
The 1920s
The 1930s
We think the unidentified boy here did his First Communion during the 1930s (figure 1). We note a report about a First Communion in Silesia during the 1930s. "I have a couple of photographs of my mother's older sisters from their First Communion celebration in Silesia, Poland in early thirties on XX century. First Communion was always an important event for Polish Roman Catholics. It was also a suitable occasion for a family picture. On the photographs showed above, the communion girl was my Aunt Elizabeth, who was nearly 10 years older than my mother (in 1930). My mother was the baby sitting on her mother's lap (my grandmother). My mother was the youngest of all seven children. The communion girl stood in the middle between her parents, she is surrounded by her sisters and the only brother. She wore a short white dress, and she carried a candle in one hand and a prayer book in the other. Everybody looked very neat and tidy. Although it is obvious that the family of my mother was not a rich, the parents with their limited resources wanted to make sure that the children have the basic necessities. This was during the time of great depression. My grandfather lost his job as a miner, and he was forced to early retirement just when the family was just working on expanding the house so that it would be more comfortable for a large family. Eventually they were able to enlarge the house, and the older sisters found jobs just before the World War II started, bringing even more problems."
The decade of the 1940s was adreadful time for most Poles. Few countries have undergone just drastic chnges as Poles in the 1940s. Situated between two giant totalitarian states, NAZI Germany and the Soviet Union, both intent on sestroying Poland, the country struggled to survive. The NAZIs tolarated Catholcism, but along with killing Jews deported Poles from western Poland to the Gerneral Government. The Soviest in the east were less intent on elnainf Polesm but they did want to destroy the Polish nation and eliminate the Church. Despite the War and the occupatioj of brutal totalitarian states, some chikdren were still able to do their First Communions. We also notice Edward Piskozub in 1942.
The Soviets entered what is now Poland in the final months of World War II (late-1944/early 1945). The German defeats in the East led to the imposition of Communism and shifting the country west. Stalin was uncompromising about Poland, except that he dropped the policy of destroying the Polish nation, largely becayse he now controlld it. He did physically move the country west ito what had been eastern Germany. The Soviets and the Polish Communists they installed in power attacked the Church in various ways, but did not outlaw this. We are not sure how Forst Communion as affected. The Communists attmpted to reduce the Church's access to children, especially in the schools. But as you can see here in 1948, children still did First Communions (figure 1). We are not sure if the practice was increasing or deecling or what pressure was applied to discourage the practice. Hopefilly Polish readers can provide some insights. One source reports, "After World War II, the communistic system was implemented. The communists wanted to replace religious traditions with secular practices by promoting civil marriages and also civil baptism ceremonies. Since Poles were too attached to their Church and their religion tradition, it was not very successful. Poles struggled to resist the impositions of the Communist state.
The 1950s
We also notice First Communions during the Communist era (1945-88). We are not sure just how many children did First Communion during this era are what rules were set by the Communist authorities. Communist authorities attacked the Chuch in a variety of ways, but never outright banned it even during the Stalinist era.. The Church became the center around which oppositiion to the Communists coaleased. We are not sure at this time how First Communion celebrations were affected. We know many children continued to do First Communion. We are not sure about the numbers are about how First Communiions were affected.
The 1960s
There was a liberalization trend after Stalin's death and Khrushchev's de-Stalimization campaign, more so than in most of the other Soviet satellite countries. Poland remained, however, a Communist police state and Communist anti-religious policies continued in a variety of ways. We continue to see Polish children during First Communion even after more than a decade of Communist rule, two decades by the mid-60s. A Polish contributor tells us, "Throughout the 1960s, some 90 percent of the boys doing First Communion cintiunued wrearing short pants suits or short pants outfits of some type."
The relationship between the Polish church and Communist regime began to shift in the early-1970s. The Church began to take a more aggressibe appraoch, focusing on the human rights. At the time, the Church was still the only organization standing up to the Communists. Solidarity was more than a decade away. Edward Gierek became the new Communist head of state. He took a more moderate approach to the Church. He began to moderate attacks on the Church. He even established a working relationship with Archbishop Stefan Wyszynski> no only authorized the building of new Churches, but also resumed instruction in seminaries for new priests. Gierek became the first Polish communist leader to go to the Vatican and meet the pope (Paul VI) (October 1977). This did not mean that the Communists ended it campaign against the Church. The Secret Police as was common in other Communist countries
attmpted to recruit members of the clergy. Here the poliw had various ways og gaining the cooperation of clerics. They were found to use blackmail, psychological manipulation and a various rewards, including medicines or medical treatment for for critically ill family members. This did not prove a one-way street. Officials in the security service and government secretly provided information to the Church. Such a flow od informatin was rare within the Soviet Empire. There was a struggle for control of the children. Polish children with strong religious beliefs Catholic youth were forced to join the Communist Young Pioneers. At first it may seem that the Polish United Workers' Party (UWP) held all the cards, controlling the mechanisms of force. No only were most Poles Catholic, but more than half of the UWP is belivd to have been Catholic. [Will] Many worshiped openly.
Itis in this environmnt that Polish children, including UMP families, continue to do First Communions. A Polish source describes a First Communion about 1970. "I remember my first communion in May 1970. I was in a second grade like my daughter, now. Almost my entire school class was present, since almost all Poles were the members of Roman Catholic Church. Our outfits were more elaborate as compared to these of my aunts 30-40 years earlier. The girls wore long white dresses, some had veils, fixed hair, white shoes and many extra accessories not available before the war. Girls carried lilies in their hands, while boys carried candles. Even the boys' outfits were quite expensive, since they were dressed in suits, commonly short pants suits. We see white suits or dark suits, often with white knee socks." Another Polish reader writes, "Boys First Communion outfits changed kn the 1970s. By the end of the decade, some 90 percent of boys doing First Communioin were weaaring long pants suits."
The 1980s
Communist rule ended (1988). This meant that the Church could operate without restrictions. And Poles could freely practice their religion. A Polish contributor tells us that by the mid-1980s the short pants suits that noys had worn so commonly for First Communion baically disappeared in Poland.
The Polish economy faced many problems in recovering four decades of Communist rule. The process was just beginning in the 1990s, especially the early-90s. Restrictions on the church were removed after the fall of Wojciech Jaruzelski (May 1989). Improving the ecomomy was much more difficult undertaking. Many Communist era enbterprises closed because they were so inefficent. Many workers lost their jobs. Despite the economic difficulties, preparing their children for Furst Comminion was one thing for which parents found the money. Girls wore fabcy junior wedding dresses as before. Boys began to appear in a range of outfit. White suits were common, but we alo begin to see what might be clled peasant blouses and cassocks. The peasant blouses seem destinctive to Polish First Communions. One Polish commentator writes, "Since my First Communion, communion dresses in some regions of Poland became very expensive and fancy, the communion girls looked like small brides. Finally, many parishes restricted and simplified First communion outfits, so that the children focus would be on the religion aspect of Eucharist rather than on the fashion competition. Presently in many Polish parishes girls and boys have to be dress in unified outfits - simple white robes, which remind the priest robe." Another Polidh reader tells us. "In the 1990s, white long albs appeared."
Sources
Will, James E. "Church and State in the Struggle for Human Rights in Poland," Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1984), pp. 153-176
