Wesolych Świat from TMD
For those requiring a translation, Wesolych Świat means Merry Christmas in Polish, and comes in acknowledgement of our many customers of Polish origin. We thought it would be interesting to look at some Polish Christmas customs, which are a little different to those traditionally celebrated in the UK.
For a start, Santa visits twice! His first visit is on December 6th, which is St Nicholas’ Day when Christmas festivities begin and children receive small gifts, such as fruits, cookies and sweets. This is when Christmas markets traditionally begin. Santa comes again after the Christmas dinner on 24th December, when gifts are placed under the Christmas tree and carols are sung.
Traditionally, Christmas celebrations begin on the evening of December 24th, known as Wigilia, when the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper is held, following a day of fasting. On this day, the typical Polish house is ‘on fire’ referring to the many activities taking place, such as cleaning the house, dressing up and preparing traditional meals, all of which should be completed before the first star appears in the sky! This heralds the start of Wigilia and three days of celebration, during which no physical work should be undertaken! Most people fast on Christmas Eve
At the Christmas Eve dinner table, known as Kolacja Wigilijna, nothing is eaten until everyone has broken the Christmas wafers (oplatek) and exchanged wishes for good health and prosperity. It’s not uncommon for there to be 12 traditional meat-free dishes on the table, representing the 12 apostles, and cooked especially for this special day, using traditional family recipes, such as carp, herring, beetroot soup, pierogi and poppy seed cake.
At the Christmas Eve dinner, it’s common to find an extra empty place. This is in case someone unexpected arrives at the door, whether family, friends, neighbours or someone requiring asylum. Polish people believe no one should be alone at this festive time.
Christmas trees are very much part of Christmas tradition and, in addition to baubles, the tree is decorated with apples, sweets, cookies, straw stars and wrapped nuts, symbolising harvest and fertility. Kissing under mistletoe is another Christmas tradition and it’s also said that during the Christmas Eve dinner the animals are given the gift of speech - only for one night!
It's interesting to see how Christmas traditions vary in different countries and we hope our Polish Christmas facts are correct. We’d also like to wish all TMD Group customers a very Happy Christmas and a safe New Year ahead.