Christmas Eve Polish Traditions
During this moment family members wish all the best to each other.
Christmas eve polish traditions. The tradition dates. Have you ever tried polish christmas food. The salt before christmas eve dinner some families share the oplatek along with good wishes for each other. Breaking the opłatek wafer caroling opening gifts the midnight mass or pasterka these are practices beloved by every pole and person of polish descent including myself.
The custom is sometimes referred to as wieczerza or. Polish christmas eve dinner menu. In the old days people fasted for advent homes were cleaned from top to bottom grudges were forgotten and the birth of the christ child was eagerly anticipated. Christmas eve dinner starts in the late afternoon or in the evening depending on a family some people visit 2 or even more families during christmas eve having 2 or more dinners.
Traditions family and food christmas eve in poland wigilia december 24christmas eve dinner kolacja wigilijna is the most important christmas celebration in poland. A flavorless tradition that s oh so sweet. But there exists a stranger side to the way poles used to celebrate christmas eve filled with mystery and. 24 with the start of advent.
Christmas eve traditions including culinary ones are the combination of ancient pagan customs with religious ones introduced by the catholic church local traditions and various folk cultures christmas eve dinner also known as wigilia starts when the first star appears in the sky nothing is to be eaten until all members of the family have broken the christmas wafers opłatek together and. It s believed that it brings luck for each of the months in the upcoming year. There is a wide variety of polish christmas eve traditions and they really depend on the region of poland. According to the polish christmas traditions you should have 12 dishes during the supper.
Sharing christmas wafer usually takes place before the main supper. Viˈɡilʲa is the traditional christmas eve vigil supper in poland held on december 24 the term is often applied to the whole of christmas eve extending further to pasterka midnight mass held in roman catholic churches all over poland and in polish communities worldwide at or before midnight. Christmas eve in poland known as wigilia has some very beautiful traditions. The oplatek oplatki is the plural form is a thin wafer similar in.
The most common and popular of christmas traditions are laid out below. Christmas is one of the most important religious holidays in poland with christmas eve taking precedence over christmas day but christmas preparations begin four weeks before dec. All of the dishes are handmade and completely satisfying.