Pasowanie (knighting)

Can anyone explain me why this is part of Polish culture, where it comes from, what is the meaning of it, is there a link with the Easter celebrations in Czech, where they hit girls and women on second Easter day for purposes of 'fertility'?

'Pasowanie' means knighting and looks probably the same as in any other country. If you are talking about Easter traditions then you probably meant 'Śmigus-Dyngus' or 'Wet Monday' which is a day when people splash water at each other and paint maidens' windows white.

I will tell you more if you explain which one did you have in mind.

It is a bit different Vetala,

See on Youtube there are several movies about it and it sounded so strange to me that i decided to ask here what it is about:

if you search Pasowanie on You Tube you can see for yourself,

giving spankings for birthdays, when you get 18 years old?

Smigus Dyngus i know but not this other in my view weird habit.

Had a look into You Tube. The term pasowanie here seems to have nothing with Easter tradition, methinks. The first meaning of this word is 'knighting' - 'pasowanie na rycerza' (rycerz-knight); probably derived from the noun 'pas' - 'girdle' (for weapons; only a knight was allowed to keep a sword at his girdle.)

The secondary meaning - a rite of passage, making someone a new member of a community (school, for example, or marking an adulthood.) Of course, it looks a bit different than knighting a young warrior, but the meaning corresponds with ancient ceremonies.

Jowita,

Many thanks for explanation. If i would form some thoughts on the meaning of this rite of passage i would conclude: a spanking by your friends when you pass by the age of 18 would mean you tresspassed your youth and are adult now.

because what i saw on you Tube is mostly friends delivering some slaps with raised belts under somoe cheerful applause.

So need for corrective spankings from parents or educators,

That would also conclude that Polish kids are under a firm parenting rule till 18 and spanking is quite common, which is quite on the contrary compared to many other European countries.

Is it therefor a rite to break free from parental control and power.

Who recognises this 'Pasowanie' i havent heard any about before where im already for quite few years in Poland (but not amongst the 18 years old)

norman

Er, no it's not a Polish tradition to give a spanking at 18. This is just something that became popular in the very recent years just because it's fun. there is no deep meaning behind it at all.

Vetala,

Im the kind of person that takes nothing for granted.

there are more slavic folkloristic habits, for me is to easy to stop exploration and say o just fun and has no meaning. In holland we had with Sinterklaas Black Pete''s who were wearing willow rods to make kids scared. But nowadays they do not have them anymore because it might scare kids, always there is meaning of even the smallest details, at least to my opion.

And with google it is al so easy to find information fast:

source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanking#cite_note-31

(Folkloristic spanking traditions)

In Latvia on palm sunday mornings, ritual spankings:
spankee's bedroom and wakes him or her up. The whipping is done with ***** willow branches or (rarely) birch. This ritual spanking is often applied to the bare buttocks.

On Easter Monday, there is a Slavic tradition of hitting girls and young ladies with woven willow switches (Czech: pomlázka; Slovak: korbáè) and dousing them with water.

In Slovenia, there is a jocular tradition that anyone who succeeds in climbing to the top of Mount Triglav receives a spanking or birching.[31]