Several commemorative events take place every year. Gatherings of thousands
of people on the banks of the Vistula on Midsummer’s Night for a festival
called Wianki (Polish for Wreaths) have become a tradition and a yearly event
in the programme of cultural events in Warsaw. The festival traces its roots to
a peaceful pagan ritual where maidens would float their wreaths of herbs on the
water to predict when they would be married, and to whom. By the 19th century
this tradition had become a festive event, and it continues today. The city
council organize concerts and other events. Each Midsummer’s Eve, apart from
the
