CHRISTMAS IN POLAND

Chrismas Food (1-5 )Tradition (6-10)Eve customs (11-13)

Chrismas food

Paste orzechowe

Paste component orzechowe sugar szklanka, bake oils (butter) 25 dag, eggs 4, one and a half flour szklanki, powder for baking ( op. ), 20 Nut italian dag, wiped skin from orange, 200 ml of half-sweet red wine (blame), 2 chocolate ( polewa op. ), Fat for form. Preparation ram oil (butter) on downy mass, add sugar, eggs and from orange skin, with powder for baking flour wymieszaną, nut zmielonymi and alcohol. Rearrange (translate) paste for form natłuszczonej, bake ok. Hours rates 1. Prepare 200 st. polewę. Paste polać and decorate scrap of nuts.

Kutia

Components seed (grain; kernel) wheat szklanka, szklanaka maku, for (after) semi szklanki - sugar powder, honey, almond posiekanych; nut italian szklanka posiekanych, milk szklanka, 3 raisin łyżki, 5 posiekanych daktyli, wiped skin from lemon, pinch of salt. Preparation cook wheat by several hours changing several case (together; time) water Namoczoną. Soft odsączyć. Overflow bubbled milk Mak, boil, osączyć, three case (together; time) zemleć. Joint with wheat, add remaining components and well < goods (right) > wymieszać. Insert for cooler.

With bean fried Karp

Components 80 dag karpia, oil pepper for frying, eggs 2, ok. 10 Bread roll łyżek tartej, 4 flour łyżki, sół, it pepper , 25 bean dag, bulb. Preparation clean Karpia, wypatroszyć, endwise przekrajać and delete backbone. Wash, on portions pokrajać, sprinkle (sprinkle with) salt and pepper. Leave on ok. Semi < tail > godzyny. In flour each portion obtoczyć, dip in (to) egg roztrzepanym and strew bread roll tartą. Put prepared fish on warmed up fat and fry with (from) both (both of) part. Put portions on several minutes for hot baking oven (dutch oven) Złociste karpia. Serve with (from) the day before namoczoną and cooked bean. Polać posiekaną And on oil bulb zarumienioną.

Tradition

Traditionally, Advent is an important season in the Polish year, with special church services, known as Roraty, being held every morning at 6am. The four Sundays of Advent are said to represent the 4,000 years of waiting for Christ. During Advent and, in some homes, on Christmas Eve, bees wax is poured on water, and fortunes are told from the shapes which emerge. Just plain wax, from candles. But it is diffrent holiday - wax pouring, and this kind of fortunetelling are celebrated on 30 november, but it is connected rather with Andrew's nameday, than with exact christmas

Special tasks carried out during Advent are the baking of the Christmas piernik or honey cake, and the making of Christmas decorations. Pierniki are made in a great variety of shapes, including hearts, animals and St Nicholas figures. Traditional decorations include the pajaki = spiders, which are handmade mobiles, stars and decorated egg shells. Pajaki are traditional decorations, rather lots of bomblets, colourful paper chains and lots of electric lights. Beautifully lit Christmas trees are placed in all public arenas, outside churches and in homes. Traditionally the trees are decorated with shiny apples, gift walnuts, beautifully wrapped chocolate shapes and many homemade decorations and candles. On the top of the tree is a star or a glittering top piece. In many homes, sparklers are hung on the branches of the trees giving it a magical air. Sometimes the trees are left standing until February 2nd, the feast day of St Mary of the Candle of Lightning.

Christmas Eve, Wigilia, is an important part of the Polish Christmas, in fact, the most important rituals are celebrated on this day. A traditional food found in Poland is Oplatek which is piece of bread pressed with a holy picture on the surface. Oplatek is only the begin. It is more symbolic than real food. We celebrate with at least 12 diffrent vegetarian dishes like: mushroom soup, carp, cabbage with pea, stuffed dumplings, shells macaroni with poppy "makielki". In some homes - some hay is put under the tablecloth (it is connected with Christ's manger). People once carried these oplatek from house to house and wish their neighbors a Merry Christmas. Nowadays, the bread is mostly shared with members of the family and immediate neighbors. As each person shares the bread, they would have to do two things: forgive any hurts that have occurred over the past year and to wish the person all the happiness in the coming year.

Christmas Day

This day was spent quietly within the intimate family; visiting with friends and relatives would begin the following day, St. Stephen’s day. Christmas day was traditionally free of unnecessary work. The menu concentrated on meat, which is probably why the most popular dish on this day was bigos or hunter’s stew. This dish can and should be prepared ahead of time.

St. Stephen’s Day

This day spent on visiting relatives and friends is the second day of Christmas, which is also celebrated as a holiday in Poland. After mass, people threw wheat or rice at each other, to ensure good harvest and wealth in coming year. On this day domestic help was hired or rehired for the coming year and the hostess prepared an excellent meal for her domestic staff. When one of the staff left the table and did not eat, he indicated he was leaving for employment somewhere else. For the rest of the staff a new contract was sealed for the following year.

Eve customs

Wigilia comes from the Latin word vigiliare, which means to watch. In Poland, the word Wigilia used to be known as the day before a feast, and now it means the day before Jesus’s birth. Supper started when the first star appeared on the sky. Menu for this occasion was traditional, unchanging, and very carefully planned. It contained only food from forest, fields, lakes, and orchards. Meat was not allowed on Wigilia. An even number of people was seated at supper table. Number 13 was especially avoided, sign of death in coming year, and every effort was made to invite someone to share the supper – an orphan, stranger, or any single person. All waited a moment of breaking and sharing Oplatek – a thin wafer. The host and hostess faced one another, then broke and shared a part of the other’s wafer. They wished each other fulfillment of their wishes. Then they broke and shared the oplatek with each person present.

The number of dishes served on Wigilia depended on the wealth of the family - five, seven, nine, eleven or thirteen. Uneven number of dishes was to bring harvest and good luck in the following year. Supper started with a choice of a mushroom soup, red beet soup with little dumplings, or almond soup. Next came sauerkraut with mushrooms, pierogi with different kinds of filling, potatoes, and noodles with poppy seed. Then several kinds of fish prepared differently – marinated, fried, or broiled - were brought to the table. Dessert consisted of poppy seed with honey, nuts and raisins, fruit compote, and gingerbread cookies or cakes; as well as famous krupnik – holiday brandy made out of honey, spices, and alcohol. After supper candles were lit on a tree and gifts exchanged.

At midnight, people went to Pasterka or Midnight Mass. Everybody attended except infants and very sick. After the sermon, the entire congregation sung Koledy or Christmas Carols. On the way back from the mass, men visited the homes of relatives and neighbors. Sometimes a young man visited the home of a young woman whom he liked. Playfully he would snatch an apple from a Christmas tree. If the woman allowed him to keep the apple, he could begin his courting her. The host had appetizers ready for the guests, including krupnik and hot tea.

Chrismas Presentation

This presentation has been made in favor of competition „Sokrates”. This presentation has been made by Kamil Woźnicki