What makes Polish Americans different from others? In most cases, very little, but when it comes to traditions, Poles stand out because they give the holidays a special significance.
Wesołych Świat Bożego Narodzenia! That is the way to say "Merry Christmas" in Polish. Among Poles, living all over the world, the most beloved and beautiful of all traditional festivities is that of Christmas Eve as they gather for the Christmas Eve Dinner, known as Wigilia. The Wigilia table is covered with a white cloth on which a thin layer of hay is placed to remind all gathered of the humble manger setting where the Christ Child was born. Before sitting down at the table, everyone breaks the traditional wafer, or Oplatek, and exchanges good wishes for health, wealth and happiness in the New Year. The Oplatek is a thin, unleavened wafer similar to the altar bread in church. It is stamped with the figures of the Christ Child and family. The Oplatek wafer is known as the bread of love and unity and is often sent by mail to family members and friends in Poland or those living at a distance who are unable to be present for the Christmas Eve Dinner. A lighted candle in the window, or on the table, symbolizes the hope that the Christ Child will be with you in spirit. The Polish people also set an extra place at the table for an unexpected guest. This belief stems from the ancient Polish adage, "A guest in the home is God in the home."
The Wigilia is a meatless meal. Items that are included on a traditional Wigilia menu are mushroom soup, boiled potatoes, pickled herring, fried fish, pierogi, beans and sauerkraut, a dried fruit compote, babka, potato pancakes, assorted pastries, nuts and candies. After dinner the members of the family sing Polish Christmas Carols called Koledy, while the children wait impatiently around the Christmas tree or choinka for the gifts to be exchanged. "Koledy” are also sung in Polish churches at the Christmas Eve Mass, known as Pasterka, or Shepherd’s Watch, and throughout the Christmas season, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas Day itself is spent enjoying visits to family members and friends where you will always hear the words “We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”, in Polish, “Wesolych Swiat, Bozego Narodzenia i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku”!
For more information about Polish Christmas customs, visit
http://PolishAmericanCenter.org
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