Dzien Sw. Mikolaj or St. Nickolas Day

Today is December 6th, which is the Feast of St. Nickolas, or Dzien Sw. Mikolaj. 

In Poland, Sw. Mikolaj is not a fat and jolly red clad old man but is much more pious in appearance.  He is typically dressed in clothing similar to a bishop, in purple and gold, a cape, bishop's hat, and carrying a crosier, which indicates his status as a bishop.  He also is said to live in Heaven, not the North Pole.

Traditionally, in Poland, gifts are not exchanged on Christmas Eve or Day, as those days are not meant to be commercialized, but rather days for family, friends, and celebrations for the birth of Christ.  Instead, tonight Sw. Mikolaj visits the children and leaves them presents. 

The tradition varies by family.  Some families will celebrate with a small bag of candies attached to a small birch switch.  The switch is meant to remind the children that they must behave all year long.  If the child is naughty, the following year the birch switch is larger.

But, for the most part, Polish families leave candy for all children, unless of course the child has been particularly naughty and then is given a birch switch only.  Although, I have to say, I have never met or heard of any children receiving a birch switch.

The candy is a modern twist on gifts that were meant to remind children of the gifts given to baby Jesus on his birthday.

For our family, growing up we received candy on Dzien Sw. Mikolaj and also opened up one small present on Christmas Eve, or Wigilia.  Perhaps this is a tradition you may want to celebrate with your family.



If you enjoyed my post explaining the tradition of Dzien Sw. Mikolaj, you might also enjoy my post about our celebration this year of Dzien Sw. Mikolaj http://polishmamaontheprairie.blogspot.com/2010/12/good-morning-sw-mikolaj.html


International Santa Claus ; Polish St. Nicholas Poland

On the Ninth Day of Advent

The Catholic church, which we are currently members of, gives out an Advent calendar for children every year.  Today is the 9th day of Advent and I wanted to share today's prayer...

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. Jn. 15:13

The calendar then goes to explain how Jesus laid his life down for us and is our friend.  I want to thank and pray for the souls of those who have laid their lives down for our freedoms, in the US, Poland, and throughout the world.  And for those who have laid down their lives for the poor and less fortunate.  It is one thing to do so for your family, it is another for a friend or even those who you don't really know.

Na razie...

A Child's School Project About Christmas Traditions

My oldest came home today with a project to do together for her school.  She was given a star and instructions to write on it what Christmas traditions we celebrate and then to decorate it.  It left me thinking about our traditions.  There really wasn't as much room on it as we could have used so here is what she decided we should write:

"We decorate our tree and celebrate Wigilia and when we see the first star that night, we get pyjamas from Santa Claus to wear.  We have a feast with lots of polish food.  We call our family in Poland."

Wigilia is celebrated the night before Christmas, pronounced "Vee-GEEL-eya" and literally meaning "Vigil".  Polish families set out straw under the tablecloth, which itself is white to represent the pure veil of Mary, which according to legend is what she used to swaddle newborn baby Jesus with.  The youngest child is sent out to look for the first star, which is the start of the celebration. 

Some Poles also go to Midnight Mass, which I always loved to do because the ceremony is so beautiful and the music is special only for that night.

One very special tradition is the sharing and breaking of the oplatek.  It is a very thin wafer with scenes of Jesus's birth inpressed on it.  Family members each walk around with their oplatek and allow one another to break pieces off of it to eat together as they say a blessing and kiss each other on the cheeks.  This tradition is also a reminder to forgive one another for the past year.  My family in Poland always sent us one and I always thought of it as a way to have them close to us on this special holiday, even though we are many miles apart.

There are many other Polish Christmas traditions.  As it is only the beginning of Advent, we have plenty of time to share them.  What traditions do your family celebrate during the Christmas season?

Wigilia: A tale about a Polish-American family on Christmas Eve

Polska Wigilia