Winner declared in tallest palm contest

Photo: Polish Radio/Pawel Pawlica

The annual Palm Sunday contest drew enthusiasts from across Poland, but once again it was local artisan Zbigniew Urbanski who proved invincible.

However, Urbanski was unable to break his own record of 36m.

Speaking to Polish Radio, he said that the long-lasting winter had made it difficult to work effectively, adding that the materials themselves had not been the best this year either.

“The wicker was terrible, and so it was a poor year,” he said.

Nevertheless, the chilly weather and lack of a record did little to dim the enthusiasm of the crowd that thronged the town square in Lipnica Murowana, where about 100 palms were displayed by the statue of St. Simon, as tradition dictates.

The competition to build the tallest palm has been held since 1958, on the initiative of the late poet and mayor Jozef Piotrowski. Representatives of the Ethnographic Museum in Tarnow judged the contest.

Owing to the lack of authentic palms in the country, a custom emerged in Poland of creating home-made alternatives. These are traditionally made with wicker, dried flowers and ribbons. (nh)