The coming of Spring is
celebrated, in Eastern Europe, by the constructing, often by school children,
of a female effigy of Winter, who is burned—as a beacon to summon the tardy
Spring—and then thrown into the river to drown—as a way of finally getting rid
the cold lingering hag.
In Poland, this pagan spring
festival, during which the hag-effigy is burned and drowned, is called Marzanna
(or sometimes Morena, death). It
is also the effigy‘s name.
The play is set by a river in
Poland. The townsfolk and their
children have constructed a Marzanna of straw. And even though she is The Crone of Winter, she nevertheless
seems rather noble and still beautiful as a woman—especially to one agitated
ten year old boy named Pavel.
SCENE ONE:
Pavel’s Father: Hand me the
matches, Pavel, it’s time to set fire to the Old Crone.
Pavel: It’s really too bad. She’s so beautiful!
P’s F: There’s not much to be said for the
beauty of Winter, my boy. Haven’t
you had enough of icy winds and billowing snow? Don’t you long for the birds
and the flowers?
Pavel: Yes. But I want Marzanna too, papa.
P’s F: Well, you can’t have them
both. Out with the old,
Pavel. Now let’s set her aflame!
Pavel (upset): No no,
Papa. I don’t want to. I can’t.
P’s F (relenting
slightly): Alright then, let’s
just slide her into the river and be rid of the old bitch!
[They launch Marzanna. As she drifts out into the fast-moving
water, Pavel is overcome with the loss of her and begins to weep]
Pavel: I’ll be back soon,
Papa. There’s something I must do.
[he runs off]
SCENE TWO:
[We see Pavel—who has hurried
downstream—wading out into the icy water, grabbing hold of Marzanna as she
drifts past, and pulling her to shore.
He then props her up on the river bank to admire her all over
again. He sits beside her, holding
her wet straw hand]
Pavel (whispering in Marzanna’s
straw ear): I just couldn’t set
fire to you, and I couldn’t let you drown. I want you to be with me always.
[And suddenly it begins to
snow—a little furtive flurry at first, which soon becomes a blizzard. It snows and snows and snows.
It snows in Pavel’s village
by the river, and it snows all over the rest of Poland, and all over Eastern
Europe. It snows all over the
world. And it never EVER stops.]
(curtain)
