Draft:Feretron bow
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Feretron bows are a an element of the Kashubian pilgrimage tradition. These "bows" involve dance-like movements performed with a feretron (a portable, often richly decorated religious image or icon carried by pilgrims). The gestures are made as a sign of reverence when approaching places of spiritual significance, such as the churches from which the pilgrimage departs, roadside crosses, chapels, cathedrals, other churches, and holy sites along the way.
The bow
[edit]The basic gesture is the sign of the cross and a bow. Making a circle, as is customary, praises the perfection of the infinite God. The sign of the cross, on the other hand, is combined with a gesture of blessing. The image-bearers sometimes toss the feretrons into the air. Among the pilgrim groups from various locations, groups of image-bearers have developed, working for years on an increasingly interesting and dynamic set of image-bearing gestures.
Background
[edit]The history of the tradition of feretron bows does not seem to have been studied in detail so far. Grzegorz Gdański, the author of the "Chronicles of the Franciscan Monastery of the Strict Observance in Wejherowo in the years 1633-1676" does not mention this custom, nor does the author of the Calvary prayer book published since 1701. However, it is believed that this tradition is at least 300 years old.
On April 15, 2024, the "Prostrations of feretrons during the pilgrimage to the Wejherowo Calvary" were entered on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.