The Fun Life of Polish Students
‘Final exams are always a holiday for me’, the negligent student from the cult Soviet comedy assures his professor. We will definitely argue with this conventional truth. One can not go far on knowledge alone. A successful student not only studies hard, but takes time to relax. Therefore, students all over the world revel during their holidays, and Polish students have several of them at once!
Wait, but what about International Students’ Day? Indeed, it falls on 17 November and has been celebrated since 1941, but it has tragic origins: the date was chosen in honour of those who died participating in a student demonstration against the Nazis in Czechoslovakia on that day in 1939. Therefore, 17 November is a day of solidarity among students, and so they arrange celebrations and festivities at a much more suitable time – after school has ended. In Russia, they have Tatyana's Day, in Portugal – Queima das Fitas, in Great Britain – an entire Rag Week, and in Poland… well there isn’t just one holiday!
I promise to study, study, and, once more … have fun!
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Procession of professors during the inauguration of the 654th academic year at the Jagiellonian University, Kraków, 2017, photo: Jan Graczyński / East News
To vacation like a student, you first need to become one. If you thought it’s enough just to get into a university, then… most of the time you are correct. But according to a centuries-old tradition (that Polish educational institutions strive to observe) you still have to go through an inauguration ceremony – in other words, an initiation into the student body. On this day, the professorial staff headed by the rector puts on solemn robes, over which the scholarly men and women wear glittering, heavy medallions, and make welcoming speeches from the assembly hall stage, decorated for the holiday.
All of this medieval flair contrasts amusingly with modernity: the students sit, bored and buried in their phones, only rising from their seats once for the national anthem. It is rare for freshmen to hold out until the end of the formal event and hear the old European student song Gaudeamus igitur performed at the closing ceremony, but we’ll tell you a secret: this is the most entertaining part of the entire celebration. Despite its official status, Gaudeamus is actually a playful and light-hearted song about student life, which from time immemorial was sung during feasts by the Vagantes – itinerant singers and poets, among whom of course were many students. It begins with the words ‘Gaudeamus igitur / Iuvenes dum sumus’ (Let us rejoice, while we’re young!), and in the fourth verse – more ambiguous lyrics ‘Vivat membrum quolibet! / Vivant membra quaelibet!’ (Long live every member! / Long live all the members!). Let’s not forget that in the 13th century, when this song originated, only men were allowed to be scholars, and the word ‘membrum’ (‘member’) had several meanings in Latin, as it does in English.
Whoever doesn’t drink at Juwenalia, he…
The second half of this Polish meme may sound a bit rude (‘Whoever doesn’t drink at Juwenalia is a pig and a rascal!’), but Juwenalia is full of other fun activities. What is this holiday?
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Miss Medical University of Łódź in the student’s parade during Juwenalia, 2018, photo: Tomasz Stańczak / AG
Juwenalia is undoubtedly the most important and most anticipated student event in Poland. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that during Juwenalia, students take over their city. In some cities on the first day of Juwenalia, there is a ‘transfer of power’ to the students, when the mayor hands them the symbolic keys to the city. After this begins a month of fun before exams: costume processions, concerts, outdoor festivals, and all kinds of parties. Humanities and arts students organize exhibits, performances, and even poetry evenings. So even if you don’t drink at Juwenalia, there’s still plenty to participate in!
Today, Juwenalia (from the Latin juvenalia – youth games) has little in common with the games that were held in ancient Rome around 59 AD, after which this student holiday is named. This fact and the desire to stand out from other universities is why many universities come up with their own names for Juwenalia. Students at the University of Gdańsk celebrate Neptunalia, future educators – APSurdalia (from the abbreviation APS – Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej), and at the University of Zielona Gόra they have Bacchanalia (in fact, the name Bachanalia refers to the winemaking traditions of Zielona Gόra). The University of Silesia also distinguishes itself: their Juwenalia is simply referred to as The Games (‘Igry’).
Not students, but ‘gałganiarzy’ or ‘ragmen’
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Students of the Graphic Arts department in costume at the Ragman’s Ball at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, 1986, photo: Wojciech Kryński / PAP
If dressing up for only Halloween isn’t enough, join in on what the art students get up to. The custom of costume balls in Polish art academies goes back long before Halloween came into fashion, and is associated with a Medieval carnival tradition. When Poland regained its independence one hundred years ago, nightlife began to flourish immediately, and a period of wild carnival began. Students at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts joined the trend and began to hold an annual ‘Bal Gałganiarzy’ (translated into English as ‘The Ragman’s Ball’). The dress code for this event has remained the same through the years: the crazier, the better. Take this example from writer Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz:
I came up with a “pearl hunter” costume. Wanda Telyakovska says that I was completely naked, but that’s not true – only my shoulders were bare. The rest of me was covered by a thick net of fake pearls.
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The Ragman’s Ball, 1957, Warsaw, photo: Tadeusz Rolke / AG
If you don’t have a net of pearls on hand, don’t worry. Just about anything can be an outfit: whether it’s old socks, trash bags, or mayonnaise can lids. Anyone who wishes can compete with the Academy students in fashion ingenuity (the entrance fee for the ball is a symbolic 3 złoty). In 2019, this tradition celebrated its centennial, and the jubilee ball was held in early November at the Kulturalna club inside the Palace of Culture and Science.
Whoever gets in as a ‘fluke’ is a ‘fluke’!
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Fuksówka at the Białystok Theatre Academy, 2002, photo: Grzegorz Dombrowski/AG
This is the motto of Fuksówka, an old tradition from Polish theatre universities (‘Fuksem się dostałeś — fuksem się stałeś’). The Polish slang word ‘fukc’ is closest in meaning to the English ‘fluke’ (fuksem się dostałeś – got in because of a lucky chance). This term is given to newly minted theatre students by their senior classmates: they believe that passing through the competitive selection for the theatre academic track is only possible by lucky chance. Therefore, in order to become a ‘proper’ student, the ‘flukes’ need to go through a rite of initiation. Over the course of a few weeks, ‘recruits’ receive special tasks from senior students, which they must complete immediately. This controversial tradition continues to exist in one form or another to this day in Polish educational institutions (not only theatre), and its history has not been without scandals. Nevertheless, many graduates look back on this period of their studies with nostalgia – for instance, when they had to recite the roster of the football team in rhymed verse on stage.
Another form of Fuksówka is a university-wide party that falls on the frail shoulders of freshmen to organize. This is a custom at the Warsaw Academy of Arts, for example. It’s hard to come up with a better way to intermingle with everyone – especially when everyone is having fun until they drop!
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