The exhibition which will open at the Museum of History of the City of Lodz, is designed to describe the nature and variety of the familial and religious ceremonies associated with baptism, communion, marriage and death that were celebrated by the inhabitants of the city of Lodz before World War II.

The exhibition CHRZEST, KOMUNIA, SLUB I POGRZEB W KULTURZE LODZIAN DO 1939 ROKU / BAPTISM, COMMUNION, MARRIAGE AND FUNERAL IN THE URBAN CULTURE OF LODZ UNTIL 1939, which will open at the Museum of History of the City of Lodz, is designed to describe the nature and variety of the familial and religious ceremonies associated with baptism, communion, marriage and death that were celebrated by the inhabitants of the city of Lodz before World War II.

The history of Lodz at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is one of a multi-ethnic and religiously varied city. Lodz was home to Poles, Germans, Jews, Russians and people of other nationalities who were somewhat less socially active as minorities (e.g. Czech or French nationals). Representatives of these nations lived alongside each other and created their own, distinct urban cultures. Each of these nationalities strove to make a place for itself as a cohesive national, cultural or religious group in the new reality of Lodz. Religion was a cultural aspect around which people congregated and one that often implied a given ethnicity. It remains so to this day. As one of the "forms of social consciousness," it is also a socio-cultural phenomenon, a cultural text that supplies doctrine for the formation of ethical principles and rules of morally correct behavior.

Most Christian creeds very clearly accent the moment at which young adherents cross the threshold of maturity or enter into full and conscious membership in their religions. Baptisms, communions, marriages and funerals are some of the most important sacraments and denote moments of passage between the profane and the sacred dimensions for Catholics, Protestants, Jews and members of the Orthodox Church alike. It is through these ritual celebrations that followers enter into the world of religious identity and symbolically become full-fledged members of their communities. The accompanying ceremonies assist in clearly identifying individuals as members of a given church, culture, and often social group as well.

Sacraments were accepted according to established rituals that usually followed and honored traditional symbolic ceremonial forms. They were usually accompanied by a special verbal liturgy. Performance of these ceremonies called for the use of special liturgical vessels and celebratory dress that were never employed during other ceremonies. Sacraments were administered in places of worship by a chaplain in the presence of family members and close friends.

The manner in which initiatory sacraments were administered and accepted by Catholics, Jews, Protestants, and members of the Orthodox Church varied greatly in nature and differed in terms of importance. For example, among Catholics and Jews, baptism (briss) is the most essential, while Protestants assign the greatest importance to the act of communion (consecration). Ceremonies at which sacraments were accepted possessed characteristic features that derived from the canons of faith followed by adherents of given creeds. Canons defined the style and forms of rituals, expressed through theatres of gesture or the use of appropriate ceremonial items among other ways. Apart from items taken from the collections of the Museum of History of the City of Lodz, the exhibition will also include collections obtained from other museums and cultural institutions, including the Historical Museum of the City of Cracow, the Museum in Bielsko-Biala, museums in the towns of Krasnik and Leczna, the Central Museum of Textiles in Lodz, the Museum of Independence Traditions in Lodz, and the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw. Some of the more interesting items on view will include a pewter baptismal bowl dating from the 17th century, a lace wedding dress from the 1930s, and a Jewish wedding cap from the 19th century. The presentation will also include numerous photographs documenting weddings, communions and baptisms that transpired during the 1920s and 30s.

Exhibition opening: June 12, 2003.

The Museum of History of the City of Lodz
Muzeum Historii Miasta Łodzi
ul. Ogrodowa 15, 91-065 Łódź
Director: mgr Ryszard Czubaczyński
tel. (+48 42) 654 00 33, 654 03 32 (dyr.)
tel./fax (+48 42) 654 03 23
www.poznanskipalace.muzeum-lodz.pl

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