"The way in which people are marrying shows a new Poland"

"My research shows that Poland is becoming secular, particularly in urban areas”

On 11 October, the UAB's ISOR research team, focusing on the fields of religion, identity and memory within sociology, invited Agata Rejwska, doctor in Sociology and researcher of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, to give a seminar at the UAB. She was recently awarded a prize by the International Society for the Sociology of Religion for one of her articles which analyses the theme of her seminar, entitled "Humanist Weddings in Poland: the various motivations of couples".

1. You just gave a talk on wedding ceremonies and gender pattern. What type of weddings are we talking about?
They are secular wedding ceremonies organised since 2007 by a humanist association in Poland. They also exist in other countries. In Scotland, for example, they are very popular and are organised by a humanist association in Scotland. They were created out of a necessity, because in Poland people go to the church only to get married, but they are not religious nor do they trust this institution.

2. Here we have civil wedding ceremonies. Is that the same?
No, it is not. Poland also has civil weddings, but they have legal effects that humanist ceremonies do not, and they cannot be catered to each couple. They tend to be a matter of mere bureaucracy, last 15 minutes, in which each person signs a paper and you must abide by these pre-established norms that do not allow for any personal touches or changes. They are nothing special, aesthetically, and are very cold. It was not an option for many people, who wanted a different type of ceremony, and this is how humanist ceremonies were born.

3. What happens in a humanist wedding ceremony?
It is completely personal and individualised. The couple can use their own ideas, choose a poem, music, a place they like, and decide on all the details.

4. According to your research, what gender patterns can be observed in these humanist weddings?
Although they represent a change, I observed that some gender patterns continued, while others became less visible. For example, the hierarchic vision of the Catholic Church continues to exist in the moment in which the bride enters the celebration venue, by the arm of her father. Many brides have continued this tradition, and a reason for that is the desire to do exactly what they see in American movies. That is a big shock for me, because it reproduces the vision of a woman who is not independent and who needs a father figure to make an important decision. There are other ceremonies in which bride and groom enter with both their fathers.

Another tradition they maintain is the bride being dressed in white. In the end, it is the fact that the couples want to change, but they do not want to be too revolutionary and use another colour; this would be too drastic. Once again there is the influence of films and the American culture.

5. Why do you think there are more and more of these types of non-religious wedding ceremonies in Poland?
Yes, they are definitely becoming more popular. And the reasons are, first of all, because of a disappointment with the Catholic Church. Currently, only 75% of Poles identify with the Catholic Church, a figure that has decreased greatly in the past few years, when it was approximately 90%. Secondly, these weddings have no legal effects, so same-sex couples can also marry, for example. These people have no other alternative if they want to formalise their relation, because these types of weddings are not legal in Poland.

And thirdly, because people do not believe in the church as an institution anymore, even if they are religious, due to cases such as paedophilia. And a fourth reason is for pragmatic reasons, the ceremony can speed up lengthy and complicated bureaucracy such as in the case of couples with different nationalities.

6. You recently received an international award for your article on “Humanist weddings in Poland: the various motivations of couples” which analyses these types of weddings. What is your main conclusion?
The main conclusion is that Poland is becoming secular. T researched the motives behind a rise in humanist weddings celebrated outside of the church. The majority of bibliography points to anti-religious reasons, but my research also adds other motives, such as pragmatism, aesthetics or a need to individualise the ceremony.

The young generation is particularly moving away from the Catholic Church. This change is not trivial, and less when we talk about a county in which the church has always had a strong influence. This is key when we look towards the future.

7. Does this mean the country is changing?
Yes, of course! In my research I also observed that this secularisation is happening in urban areas and not in rural areas, where they continue to follow Catholic traditions.

8. What methodology did you use for this research that has earned you international prestige?
I interviewed twenty couples who were going to celebrate this type of wedding and ten officiators, persons who were conducting the ceremonies. I also observed and participated in the weddings. I attended the ceremony, took pictures, recorded videos, spoke to the guests, and I got a first-hand glimpse at how the ceremonies worked.

9. How do you see your country, Poland, given the rise of far-right parties in many European countries?
Poland, like many other countries, is deeply divided. There are very differentiated groups: on the one hand there are the nationalists and traditionalists, connected to the Catholic Church; and on the other hand we have the more progressive, pro-European and secularise group, giving support to same-sex couples, for example. In many places, such as the United States, this is also happening, society is divided.

10. There will soon be elections in Poland (this interview took place shortly before the elections).
Yes. Now we have elections and the results are uncertain, because the country is divided; we will see what happens.

11. As a sociologist conducting research, how do you see the young people of your country?
Young people in Poland do not feel so connected to the Catholic religion as older people do, they do not see it as important as the older generations. However, there is a difference when it comes to gender: while women study more and are more liberal in the sense of being more open-minded, the men are more traditional and conservative. There are studies that demonstrate this difference in genders.

12. Where is Poland with regards to social rights?
Well, it is advancing little by little. More support is being given to the rights of the LGTBI community, but not nearly as much as there is in countries such as Spain, for example. Society does seem to be more aware of these issues, but the government does not see it that way. Without going further, the abortion law in Poland is stricter now than it was years ago. In contrast, people have protested more and are more active, demanding that the law be more open. In short, things are moving in two speeds in Poland, the institutional and the civil.