Poles chase away winter by burning and drowning dolls

SIERPC, Poland: Clutching a gaudy homemade doll in flames, students gathered Thursday on a frosty footbridge in central Poland to toss it into the river - an ancient rite repeated across the country every March 21.

Chanting "Evil winter begone!", the students joined winter-weary Poles nationwide in the centuries-old tradition of burning "Marzanna" dolls to cast away the cold, illness and all other misery.