Last Christmas, I was in Taiwan, and it has been 15 months since I was in Poland!
In Poland, the Christmas season starts on December 24th. Although it's still a working day for many people, everyone tries to spend Christmas Eve together. Usually, the whole family gathers, as it is one of the few days they have to see each other. Typically, grandparents, parents, and children come together. In my family, we used to spend December 24th with my mother's family, including my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. On December 25th, we would always celebrate with my father's family at his parents' home.
This year is different. Instead of staying at home with my father and brother, we joined one of my aunts and her family. It was the first Christmas for my husband and our baby. We even had Santa Claus visit with a bag of gifts. Santa Claus is more of a funny character, but the gifts were usually placed under the Christmas tree and not opened until after dinner.
One of the first traditions I want to mention is decorating the Christmas tree. Traditionally, it should be done on the morning of December 24th, but many kids can't wait and start decorating about two weeks earlier. However, this is not a good idea if you have a live tree. This year, we had a live tree, and we decorated it just one day before Christmas. I also made a paper Christmas tree a few years ago.
There was a funny situation with the Christmas lights. We checked them before putting them on the tree, and they were working. But right after we hung them on the tree, they stopped working. My brother checked every single light, and everything seemed to be okay. A few days later, when we were cleaning up, we took the lights out of the tree and checked them again - they worked! We had thought they were broken the whole Christmas season, haha.
Before we start the Christmas dinner, we look for the first star to appear in the sky. I'm fortunate to live in the countryside where there aren't many lights around, which allows us to see the sky better. This tradition comes from the Bethlehem Star, which guided the Wise Men to the birthplace of Christ. Just like them, we wait for this happy moment to celebrate.
Before we begin eating, everyone shares Christmas wafers called opłatek. These are unleavened wafers made of flour and water, embossed with a religious image. Each person gets one and shares pieces with everyone else while exchanging wishes. This tradition is linked to breaking bread at the Last Supper. My family doesn't speak English, and my husband doesn't understand this tradition. I tried to explain it, acting as a translator between them.
Another tradition is to leave an empty plate on the table in case someone shows up and asks for shelter. This doesn't really happen nowadays, but if a stranger were to come, we would invite them to join us at the table. We also place a little hay under the tablecloth as a reminder that the newborn Jesus was laid on hay.
I think not many people still follow all of these traditions. Many have been forgotten, like leaving an empty plate, reading the Bible, and singing Christmas carols. My family doesn't do these anymore, but we at least play carols on CDs. Nowadays, the "tradition" is to watch Home Alone, haha. For many years, it has been shown repeatedly on Polish TV during Christmas, except for one year when it wasn't.
Traditionally, we serve 12 dishes. On Christmas Eve, we don't eat meat except for fish. The 12 dishes represent the twelve months of the year and the twelve apostles. It is a symbol of abundance. The most popular dishes for Christmas Eve are red borscht or mushroom soup (some people serve cherry soup, but the sweet flavor isn't liked by many), dumplings stuffed with cabbage and mushrooms, potato salad, fish (especially carp), poppy seed cake, and dried fruit compote.
On this day, everyone sings Christmas carols, and some people also read the Bible. Traditionally, after dinner, we open gifts from family. I think this is the moment every kid waits for the whole day.
According to an old Polish legend, animals are granted the gift of speech on this day. Many kids try to speak with their pets and even share opłatek with them. Unfortunately, my pets never speak back to me...
Many people go to midnight mass, called Pasterka in Polish. It refers to the biblical shepherds who were visited by an angel and told of the birth of Christ. The mass lasts about one hour, and people sing Christmas carols.
The last day of Christmas is December 26th. After this time, some people go back to work, but kids are lucky to have about two weeks off around this time. Traditionally, the Christmas tree should be kept until January 6th, which is the Feast of the Three Kings. During this time, a priest visits every house to give a short blessing.
