Paper short abstract:

In my paper I shall discuss types of action in the context of uncertainty (climate crisis, pandemic) towards two Polish yearly rituals based on the human-environment relationship: Flower carpets tradition for Corpus Christi processions and Kumoterki Races.

Paper long abstract:

Polish ritual year consists of religious holidays based on the human-environment relationship. In my paper I shall discuss two of them - Flower carpets tradition for Corpus Christi processions (inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) and Kumoterki Races. The tradition of flower carpets in Spycimierz (Central Poland) involves a mass followed by a procession through the village streets. To arrange symbolic patterns, local community use a variety of plants, picked from the nearby meadows and family gardens. Availability of raw materials is directly impacted by local weather conditions and climate that determine the growing season. There are years when Corpus Christi comes later than the blooming stage, therefore access to certain plants is limited. The entire event brings together not only a large community of depositors but also thousands of tourists. Therefore, this practice had to be confined during the pandemic, resulting much shorter procession route, fewer tourists and the obligation to wear masks. Pandemic restrictions also applied to the Kumoterki Races - a competition for two-person teams racing on a snow track sleighs typical for the Podhale region in Poland. As for the climate crisis, in 2022 only, four out of seven yearly races were canceled due to the lack of snow. Based on the so far collected empirical material, I would like to refer three potential types of action towards ICH rituals in the context of uncertainty – adaptation, discontinuance and long-term actions combining the safeguarding with sustainability and mitigation.