We have already created two Marzannas, so it’s time to collect conclusions and share the tutorial 😁 in this post you will learn how to make traditional Polish Marzanna from grass and tissue paper.
Drowning Marzanna is an Old Slavic custom that is currently practiced in Poland on the first day of spring, i.e. March 21. In the past, Marzanna was made of straw, dressed in white cloth and decorated with ribbons and beads. According to tradition, Marzanna was carried in a procession throughout the village and drowned in every puddle they found. In the evening, she was taken outside the village and thrown into the water. Today, this custom (at least in cities) is highly simplified and symbolic, although it is still practiced in one form or another. If you want to learn more about Marzanna I suggest you visit Wikipedia.
Polska wersja: Jak zrobić Marzannę
You will need
To make a grass puppet:
- Tall dry grasses – ornamental grasses from the garden, such as miscanthus, are ideal.
- Garden gloves – it’s worth having, because dry grass is sharp and it’s better to protect your hands
- Pruning shears – for cutting grass
- String or painter’s tape – to stabilize the structure of the puppet.
To decorate Marzanna:
- Colorful fluted tissue paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- String
- Technical block
- Acrylic markers or markers
How to make Polish traditional Marzanna
There are two options for making a body, depending on how tall it is and what length of grass you have. 2 years ago we did option 1, and a year ago option 2, so you can compare the effects.
Option 1
You prepare a sheaf of grass, quite thick, so that you can catch it with one hand. You cut the top and bottom of the sheaf. This will be the head and torso. The disadvantage of this option is that the end of the head is cut off evenly and needs to be masked somehow.
Option 2
Or you take long grasses and bend them in half, thus creating the head and body. Such Marzanna will probably be shorter, but the head will be prettier.
Regardless of the chosen option for creating the torso, the arms should be made of shorter grasses and inserted between the grasses that make up the torso. Secure everything with string or tape.
Decorating Marzanna
In the past, Marzanna was made of straw, dressed in white cloth and decorated with ribbons and beads. Our idea refers to this tradition, only colored tissue paper plays the main role here.
- Dress – made of white tissue paper
- Beads – balls of tissue paper wrapped in a strip of red tissue paper and twisted.
- Hair – made of yellow or brown tissue paper. Cut off 1-2 cm pieces, unfold them and glue them to the doll.
- Wreath – made of flowers made of colorful tissue paper. Cut off about 10 cm of tissue paper, cut along the entire length like a piñata, then roll it up and glue it together until you create flowers.
Traditional Polish Marzanna
Check out our ideas
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Nothing gives more satisfaction than doing something yourself. I haven’t even thought about DIY as my hobby, I’ve just done different “projects” when it was needed. Sometimes it’s a disguise for the Masquerade Party in kindergarten. Another time, cutting out the pumpkin and baking the witch’s fingers for Haloween. Or simply organizing holiday souvenirs. Now I decided to share my realizations with you. Let’s go it together!
