Catholic Masses

  • Search for Mass Times
  • Catholic Faith Articles
    • News Briefs
    • Catholic Church
    • Vatican News
  • Online Masses
    • Daily Catholic Mass Online
      • Daily TV Mass from Toronto
      • EWTN Daily Mass
      • CTVN Daily Mass
      • Sunday Mass by the Passionists
      • Daily Mass (In Spanish)
  • Pray with Us
Home Test page Scaled-down Three Kings parades held in Poland due to coronavirus pandemic

Scaled-down Three Kings parades held in Poland due to coronavirus pandemic

A Three Kings parade in Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 6, 2021. Photo credits: Karol Darmoros/Polskie Radio and Orszak Trzech Króli.

CNA Staff, Jan 6, 2021 / 08:30 am (CNA).- An estimated 2,500 Three Kings parades took place in Poland on Wednesday amid tight coronavirus restrictions.

The processions were significantly scaled back from last year, when 1.3 million people took part in the event, which commemorates the visit of the Magi, or wise men from the East, to the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem.

Organizers believe that the annual parade, known in Polish as Orszak Trzech Króli, is typically the largest street nativity play in the world.

But this year mini-processions replaced the large-scale celebrations of previous years, with some parades held entirely online. Organizers encouraged Poles to consider holding family processions, singing carols in churches, and taking part in a Christmas carol social media challenge.

In some places, the Three Kings traveled on horseback from parish to parish. In others, car parades were organized. In the capital, Warsaw, the procession attracted 90,000 people last year. This year only five people took part, in compliance with coronavirus restrictions.

Fr. Paweł Rytel-Andrianik, director of the Office for Foreign Communication of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, said: “Most of the mini-processions were organized after the Holy Masses, in the form of caroling and a march in groups of five people, in accordance with the sanitary requirements.”

More than 1.3 million people in Poland have tested positive for COVID-19 and 30,055 have died as of Jan. 6, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

The motto of this year’s parades was “Let Us Give Thanks to the Lord,” the title of “Song XIII” by Polish Renaissance poet Jan Kochanowski.

Piotr Giertych, chairman of the board of the Three Kings Parade Foundation, which oversees the event, said that the motto expressed gratitude that Jan. 6 once again became a national holiday in Poland 10 years ago.

“We also have something to give thanks for after this difficult year. 2020 was a difficult year for all of us, but also it was also full of ideas, full of hope, and we precisely hope that the procession of the Three Kings is like a star shining in the dark, like the birth of Christ,” he said.

The first Three Kings street parade was held in Poland in 2009. It was created as a continuation of the nativity play in one of Warsaw’s schools. The ceremonial procession derives from the native tradition of nativity plays and caroling, but it is also modeled on the parades organized in Spain and Mexico.

In the Polish procession participants walk through the streets of towns and villages behind the Star of Bethlehem. All participants receive a booklet of Christmas carols and colorful paper crowns and they sing Christmas carols as they walk. The Three Kings lead the procession to the stable, where all present bow down before Jesus and the Holy Family.

Thanks to the feast of the Epiphany becoming a public holiday in 2011, the number of parades has grown steadily. Since 2012, the president of Poland has supported the events, beginning with Bronisław Komorowski and continuing with the country’s present head of state Andrzej Duda.

According to the website of the Three Kings Parades Foundation, parades took place at 22 locations outside Poland in 2019. Parade organizers hope that the phenomenon will continue to spread worldwide.

As in previous years, Pope Francis greeted participants in the processions in Poland this year.

In his Angelus address on Jan. 6, he said: “A special greeting goes to the Three Kings Parades Foundation that organizes events of evangelization and solidarity in numerous cities and villages in Poland and in other nations.”


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


Catholic World Report

Jan 6, 2021CatholicMasses

Share this post:

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on EmailShare on LinkedIn
Venezuela’s ruling party takes control of Congress after dispute voteVatican Museums: Come, let us worship #10
You Might Also Like
 
A Communion story: We are all 'unworthy'
 
Vatican closes 2019 investigation into case of long-missing Italian teen, Emanuela Orlandi

You must be logged in to post a comment. - Log in

CatholicMasses
2 years ago Catholic News, COVID-19, Epiphany, Europe, News Briefs, pandemic, Poland, Three KingsCatholic Church, COVID-19, Epiphany, Europe, News Briefs, pandemic, Poland, Three Kings22
Find Mass Schedules Near You

CatholicMasses.org allows you to search for Catholic Churches to find Mass times near you!

This unique feature helps while traveling.  Now along with Mass times, schedules and Catholic news you can also watch daily Catholic Mass online with your friends.

Try our free resource to “find Roman Catholic Churches near me” today!

St Alphonsus Liguori praised the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the best way to Honor God.  Join us as we celebrate Mass daily from various parishes around the world, online and offline, and please visit daily to pray with us as we recite the Rosary, offer daily scripture, readings, devotions and Catholic focused news. We bring you daily Catholic Mass from various parishes around the world and Catholic news.

Today’s Mass
Daily Mass Videos
  • Catholic Chicago
  • CatholicTVNetwork Daily Mass
  • Daily Mass from Toronto Canada
  • ETWN Daily Mass
  • Eucaristia en Vivo – Spanish Daily Mass
  • General Catholic Videos
  • Live video from Lourdes France
  • Masses from the Ascension Priests
  • Misa Hoy (en español)
  • National Shrine
  • News from a Catholic Perspective
  • News from CFN
  • Pope Francis and Vatican News
  • Rosary
  • Sunday Mass by the Passionists
What’s New
  • Pope at Ecumenical Prayer in South Sudan: Those who unleash war betray God
  • Pope addresses Zayed prize-winners and encourages interreligious dialogue
  • Pope to displaced South Sudanese: be seeds of hope and rebirth
  • Shepherds interceding in the midst of their people, not managers
  • South Sudan’s President pardons 71 prison inmates
About

Providing up to date online access to information exclusively about Catholicism.

Visit our site map | Privacy Policy | About Us Page.

Streaming Catholic Mass Online

Watch Catholic Mass Online Today.

Find Churches Nearby
Email-Subscription

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news and event postings.

2019 © Catholic Mass Search - Search Catholic Churches and find Mass times while traveling.
Privacy Policy | About Us Page.
Truemag theme by StrictThemes
Change Location
Find awesome listings near you!