# Celebrations in May



## Encolpius

Hello, I am looking for a Polish word if it exists at all...according to the Wikipedia that tradition comes as early as the Monarchy, so I think Polish might know it as well...Czechs call it "majáles" and we call it "majális", sounds the same but actually there are some differences in that tradition...I looked up in the dictionary but haven't found any similar Polish word beginning with maj-.... do you know that tradition in Poland and what do you call it? here is a Czech article....Thanks.


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## kknd

well… it seems that it is Chech counter-part of Polish _juwenalia_ (see this article).


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## marco_2

Hello Encolpius, I read this article and I think we don't have an exact equivalent in Poland, however it resembles two Polish traditions: _Juvenalia_, which are generally organised in May by our students and an old folk tradition _chodzenie z gaikiem _or _z maikiem _which also takes / took place in May after Easter - it was a welcome to spring. P.S. kknd has left me behind by a couple of seconds .


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## LilianaB

I think they may call it "majówka', but wait for other opinions, Encolpius. I read about some celebrations like that -- picnics and things like that in some 1900s literature. It might have been something typical of the pre-communist traditions.


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## kknd

@marco_2
yeah! 

@lilianab
in polish, as you said, _majówka_ is a picnic held in may when the wheather is getting warmer—student parties rarely can be described by this term! you can safely consider it as a "false friend".

_majówka_ is just a leisure time  taken to smell the roses, on the blanket with some optional home-made food and/or non-demanding physical activity. (recently it's been linked with bbq/grill party, but rather composed one!)


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## Thomas1

We also frequently refer to the break that we have at the beginning of May as 'majówka' (the period between the 1st and 3rd of May). This year it was a really long break if someone took 2 or 3 days off (9 days in total!).

'majówka' is also a name for a mass service celebrated in Roman Catholic Church in May.


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## kknd

Thomas1 said:


> _majówka_ is also a name for a mass service celebrated in Roman Catholic Church in May.


as far as i know _majówka_ is translated as the "may service" and is not a mass service but a prayer service.


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## LilianaB

I think that would be "majowe".  And the students' celebrations, in Medieval costumes, especially in Kraków, are called juwenalia. Students' picnics may be called "majówki" -- it depends what you want. The Czech text is not really that easy to understand.


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## dreamlike

The generic term for a series of entertainment events intended for university students (but not limited to, everyone is welcome) is indeed 'Juwenalia' (see the meaning of 'juvenile'), but then there are Kozienalia, Medykalia and whatnot which all form part of 'Juwenalia'.


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## Thomas1

I agree on 'juwenalia' (the event took part at my uni last weekend). But 'Kozienalia' and 'Medykalia' are something new to me. What are they? I'd assume that the latter is an event related to the department of medicine, am I far off the mark, DL?


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## dreamlike

No, that's actually spot-on, Thomas.  _'Medykalia'_ are a series of events (concerts and the like) organised by the students (or whoever's in charge of that) of 'Uniwersytet medyczny w Lublinie'.
_'Kozienalia_' are organised by another of our universities, UMCS, and the name isn't much of a mystery. There's 'koziołek' in the Lublin's coats of arms. 

I was wondering whether the same is the case in other cities of Poland.. that each university helds stand-alone events, which all form part of what we call 'Juwenalia'. I suppose it is.


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