The red candle in the center is from our first Wigilia in the USA. We still use it and light it. To remember.
Na razie...
A Mama born in Poland with "Gypsy Blood" living on the American Prairie with her daughters, two future Miss Poland and Nobel Peace prize recipients :: Food, Travel, Life...
Showing posts with label Wigilia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wigilia. Show all posts
28 December 2011
Wordless Wednesday: The Wigilia Feast
Wigilia has ended but I thought I would share a photo of our table. We have been snacking on ham, stuffed eggs, kielbasa, bigos and other goodies the past few days as well.
The red candle in the center is from our first Wigilia in the USA. We still use it and light it. To remember.
Na razie...
The red candle in the center is from our first Wigilia in the USA. We still use it and light it. To remember.
Na razie...
24 December 2011
Kluski z Makiem or Poppy Seed Noodles
Poppy Seed Noodles, or Kluski z Makiem (pronounced Klooskey z Mahk-ee-em) is a once a year dish which takes several hours of preparation and is usually reserved for Wigilia.
If you haven't started soaking the poppy seeds in boiled milk for at least 5 hours (preferably 12) and want to make this dish, there is still a short window of opportunity to do so today. Or you can use a can of poppyseed filling in place of soaking the poppyseeds in milk.
My Tato told me to inform you that children can enjoy this in small amounts as this makes them sleepy. Perhaps this is an old fashioned remedy for children trying to stay up late on Christmas Eve to catch a peek at Santa Claus, or Sw. Mikolaj.
Ingredients:
1 12 oz. bag of Poppyseeds *
1 1/2 cups Milk or Water
1 cup Honey
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Lemon or Orange Zest
pinch of Salt, if you like
about 3 cups of cooked Kluski (Polish Egg Noodles)
2 tablespoons Butter
In a saucepan, combine the poppyseeds and milk. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and set aside to soak for at least 5 hours, but preferably 12 hours.
Drain in a sieve. Grind twice.
In a clean saucepan, combine the poppyseeds, honey, raisins, nuts, extract and zest. Also, add the salt now, if using.
Heat through and toss with noodles and butter.
Smacznego!
Notes:
* In place of the poppyseeds and milk, you can used a can of poppyseed filling.
You can also add chopped prunes to the dish, if you like. Also, you can add Almonds with or in place of Walnuts.
I'll add the photo of the completed dish later today, as I won't be combining the dish until just a little bit before serving.
Related Posts:
Pierniczki or Polish Gingerbread Cookies, Not Torunski Version
My Meatless Golabki
My Favorite Holiday Memories
If you haven't started soaking the poppy seeds in boiled milk for at least 5 hours (preferably 12) and want to make this dish, there is still a short window of opportunity to do so today. Or you can use a can of poppyseed filling in place of soaking the poppyseeds in milk.
My Tato told me to inform you that children can enjoy this in small amounts as this makes them sleepy. Perhaps this is an old fashioned remedy for children trying to stay up late on Christmas Eve to catch a peek at Santa Claus, or Sw. Mikolaj.
Ingredients:
1 12 oz. bag of Poppyseeds *
1 1/2 cups Milk or Water
1 cup Honey
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Lemon or Orange Zest
pinch of Salt, if you like
about 3 cups of cooked Kluski (Polish Egg Noodles)
2 tablespoons Butter
In a saucepan, combine the poppyseeds and milk. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and set aside to soak for at least 5 hours, but preferably 12 hours.
Drain in a sieve. Grind twice.
You can use a coffee or seed grinder. I prefer to use a mortar & pestle with my kids.
Just call me Baba Jaga. ;)
Just call me Baba Jaga. ;)
In a clean saucepan, combine the poppyseeds, honey, raisins, nuts, extract and zest. Also, add the salt now, if using.
Heat through and toss with noodles and butter.
Smacznego!
Notes:
* In place of the poppyseeds and milk, you can used a can of poppyseed filling.
You can also add chopped prunes to the dish, if you like. Also, you can add Almonds with or in place of Walnuts.
I'll add the photo of the completed dish later today, as I won't be combining the dish until just a little bit before serving.
Related Posts:
Pierniczki or Polish Gingerbread Cookies, Not Torunski Version
My Meatless Golabki
My Favorite Holiday Memories
23 December 2011
A Christmas Gift Idea-Vanilla Sugar
Vanilla Sugar, or Cukier Waniliowy (pronounced Tsook-ee-er Van-eelov-ih), is a great homemade gift for Christmas.
With Christmas coming in just a couple of days and the stores loaded with gifts that often times just don't quite suit the loved one you are shopping for, a homemade gift can be a great idea instead.
Vanilla Sugar can be made and gifted to your child's school teacher, mailman, your neighbors, your Babcia, anyone.
You can make it with two different types of Sugars.
Powdered Sugar is perfect for dusting on cakes and cookies.
Granulated Sugar is perfect for flavoring coffee, adding to baked goods instead of plain sugar, and other drinks.
Make it a week or two ahead, if you have time. If not, you can let the recipient know to wait a couple of weeks to let the flavors develop more.
Place it in a pretty jar with a ribbon and a note that when the sugar starts running low, to just add more sugar. The vanilla pods will keep flavoring the sugar until they lose their scent.
Ingredients:
1-3 cups of Sugar
2-3 Vanilla Pods
Cut up the Vanilla Pods into 1/2" to 1" chunks (that way, the flavor is released but they are still large enough to be noticed and not accidentally taken out of the jar with a tablespoon of sugar).
Place in a pretty jar. Add sugar. Mix it up.
Keep in a cool, dry place with the lid on tight.
Smacznego!
Related Post:
Polish Hunter's Seasoning or Przyprawa Mysliwska
Nalesniki z Serem or Polish Crepes/Pancakes with Cheese
With Christmas coming in just a couple of days and the stores loaded with gifts that often times just don't quite suit the loved one you are shopping for, a homemade gift can be a great idea instead.
Vanilla Sugar can be made and gifted to your child's school teacher, mailman, your neighbors, your Babcia, anyone.
You can make it with two different types of Sugars.
Powdered Sugar is perfect for dusting on cakes and cookies.
Granulated Sugar is perfect for flavoring coffee, adding to baked goods instead of plain sugar, and other drinks.
Make it a week or two ahead, if you have time. If not, you can let the recipient know to wait a couple of weeks to let the flavors develop more.
Place it in a pretty jar with a ribbon and a note that when the sugar starts running low, to just add more sugar. The vanilla pods will keep flavoring the sugar until they lose their scent.
Ingredients:
1-3 cups of Sugar
2-3 Vanilla Pods
Cut up the Vanilla Pods into 1/2" to 1" chunks (that way, the flavor is released but they are still large enough to be noticed and not accidentally taken out of the jar with a tablespoon of sugar).
Place in a pretty jar. Add sugar. Mix it up.
Keep in a cool, dry place with the lid on tight.
Smacznego!
Related Post:
Polish Hunter's Seasoning or Przyprawa Mysliwska
Nalesniki z Serem or Polish Crepes/Pancakes with Cheese
21 December 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Getting Ready for Wigilia
At Keylime Cove... (Guess which one is mine and which is my husbands)
The Manger as told by a 2 and 6 year old...
Chopping chives with the help of the kids...
A letter to God from my 6 year old which I was baking...
Kogiel Mogiel (on right for the kids, on left with brandy for Mama)
One of two bottles of Polish mead my hippy husband bought for my father and I for Christmas and my Polish Rock Salt Lamp...
A Christmas card from the Polish Embassy in D.C.
What do Wigilia and Christmas preparations look like in your house?
20 December 2011
Pierniczki or Polish Gingerbread Cookies, Not Torunski Version
I love Pierniczki (pronounced Pee-er-neetsh-key). I personally enjoy them with no icing and a cup of coffee.
Because we made this batch of Pierniczki yesterday late afternoon, we will probably be putting the frosting on Thursday in time for Wigilia-if they last that long.
The Bezy have been made twice thus far and, while I lack concrete evidence, I suspect the Krasnoludki ate them all. Nobody else is confessing to it.
A small explanation, these are not actually gingerbread cookies, as there is no ginger in them. This is a different version of the traditional Torun Gingerbread cookies. I will share that recipe another time.
Ingredients:
3-3 1/2 cups Flour (I used 1 part whole wheat to 3 parts unbleached)
1/2 cup Honey
1 teaspoon Orange Zest (Optional)
1 tablespoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 tablespoon Cloves, ground
1 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
7 tablespoons Butter
2 Eggs
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda, diluted in 3 tablespoons Water
Sift Flour. While sifting, add in the spices to incorporate.
Melt honey in small saucepan. Mix with orange zest.
Mix with Flour/Spice mixture.
Add Butter. Allow to cool.
Add eggs and sugar.
Add diluted baking soda and mix well.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it has the same consistancy as pasta dough*. Roll to about 5 mm thickness (2/5" thickness).
Cut into shapes, such as circles, stars, Christmas trees, Sw. Mikolaj, church bells, etc.
At this point, if you want to hang them later on your Christmas tree, use a straw to cut a hole about 1/2"-1" from edge in the shape. You can later string ribbon through these to hang them.
Place on greased cookie sheets, leaving about 1" space between the cookies.
Bake 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
Allow to cool completely.
Remember: Gingerbread men and women and any other creatures made from this dough are very likely to run away if you turn your back on them while they are cooling. Have a child stand guard and keep an eye on them as they cool. And you clean up the mess from cooking or prepare the icing. Of course, the child will be very excited and at some point, turn to see what else is going on and a cookie will likely walk away.
Store in airtight container.
Ice right before serving.
Smacznego!
Notes:
* If you have never made pasta dough, the dough should be somewhat elastic and not too sticky or runny that you cannot roll it out and shape it.
The thinner the cookies, the better. I had my 6 year old help roll the dough and cut the shapes.
You could also make this recipe without Butter and with 1 cup of Honey instead of 1/2 a cup.
Because we made this batch of Pierniczki yesterday late afternoon, we will probably be putting the frosting on Thursday in time for Wigilia-if they last that long.
The Bezy have been made twice thus far and, while I lack concrete evidence, I suspect the Krasnoludki ate them all. Nobody else is confessing to it.
A small explanation, these are not actually gingerbread cookies, as there is no ginger in them. This is a different version of the traditional Torun Gingerbread cookies. I will share that recipe another time.
Ingredients:
3-3 1/2 cups Flour (I used 1 part whole wheat to 3 parts unbleached)
1/2 cup Honey
1 teaspoon Orange Zest (Optional)
1 tablespoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 tablespoon Cloves, ground
1 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
7 tablespoons Butter
2 Eggs
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda, diluted in 3 tablespoons Water
Sift Flour. While sifting, add in the spices to incorporate.
My Babcia's Flour Sifter...
Melt honey in small saucepan. Mix with orange zest.
Mix with Flour/Spice mixture.
Add Butter. Allow to cool.
Add eggs and sugar.
Add diluted baking soda and mix well.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it has the same consistancy as pasta dough*. Roll to about 5 mm thickness (2/5" thickness).
Cut into shapes, such as circles, stars, Christmas trees, Sw. Mikolaj, church bells, etc.
At this point, if you want to hang them later on your Christmas tree, use a straw to cut a hole about 1/2"-1" from edge in the shape. You can later string ribbon through these to hang them.
Place on greased cookie sheets, leaving about 1" space between the cookies.
Bake 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
Allow to cool completely.
Remember: Gingerbread men and women and any other creatures made from this dough are very likely to run away if you turn your back on them while they are cooling. Have a child stand guard and keep an eye on them as they cool. And you clean up the mess from cooking or prepare the icing. Of course, the child will be very excited and at some point, turn to see what else is going on and a cookie will likely walk away.
Before icing, you can see the bits of Orange Zest in the cookies...
Ice right before serving.
Smacznego!
Notes:
* If you have never made pasta dough, the dough should be somewhat elastic and not too sticky or runny that you cannot roll it out and shape it.
The thinner the cookies, the better. I had my 6 year old help roll the dough and cut the shapes.
You could also make this recipe without Butter and with 1 cup of Honey instead of 1/2 a cup.
19 December 2011
Barszcz Meets Pot Roast
I found a recipe online called "Polish Pot Roast" from the 1970's.
I decided to make it for dinner last night. I figured I could get a couple of days without having to stress over making dinner while I prepare for Wigilia.
I think next time, I will cook the cabbage in water seperately for about a half hour before adding to the dish, since the flour from the meat will have by then made a thick sauce that doesn't really help to soften the cabbage well enough for my personal preference.
Also, I think the beets could then be added to the cabbage for another 1/2 hour to get the flavors to blend together more.
It did turn out to have the flavor of Barszcz in the form of a Pot Roast. It was a hit in our house. I hope you enjoy this recipe I found.
Today, I am making a list for the local Polish store. Included on the list are Oplatki, Dried Polish mushrooms, Kielbasa (for Christmas Day and Bigos), Sauerkraut. We are also starting to make cookies, such as Bezy, Pierniczki and Kolaczki.
How are your Wigilia and Christmas preparations going?
Related Posts:
Another Version of Barszcz
My Favorite Holiday Memories
My Meatless Golabki
I decided to make it for dinner last night. I figured I could get a couple of days without having to stress over making dinner while I prepare for Wigilia.
I think next time, I will cook the cabbage in water seperately for about a half hour before adding to the dish, since the flour from the meat will have by then made a thick sauce that doesn't really help to soften the cabbage well enough for my personal preference.
Also, I think the beets could then be added to the cabbage for another 1/2 hour to get the flavors to blend together more.
It did turn out to have the flavor of Barszcz in the form of a Pot Roast. It was a hit in our house. I hope you enjoy this recipe I found.
Today, I am making a list for the local Polish store. Included on the list are Oplatki, Dried Polish mushrooms, Kielbasa (for Christmas Day and Bigos), Sauerkraut. We are also starting to make cookies, such as Bezy, Pierniczki and Kolaczki.
How are your Wigilia and Christmas preparations going?
Related Posts:
Another Version of Barszcz
My Favorite Holiday Memories
My Meatless Golabki
24 December 2010
My Meatless Golabki
One traditional dish for Wigilia is meatless golabki. In fact, all of Wigilia dishes are meatless. However, I didn't grow up with meatless golabki for Wigilia, and could not find a clear recipe either online or in any of the 4 Polish Cookbooks I own. So, I made one up based on what I thought would taste good together and some traditional Polish ingredients.
I served the golabki with my own mushroom gravy. The dish was a hit with all 3 generations of my family. Even my picky 5 year old loved it.
So, I wanted to share it with others who might be looking for ideas for Wigilia dishes, everyday Vegetarian dishes, or even for a frugal dish to stretch the family food budget.
Ingredients:
one Cabbage head
Potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled
2 packs of Mushrooms, stems only, diced and cooked until no liquid remains
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks (I merely was using them instead of another egg since I had left over yolks from baking cookies)
1/2 Onion, diced and caramelized in butter
1 Carrot, diced and boiled until soft
1/2 teaspoon Vegeta (but you could use salt and pepper instead)
2 tablespoons Sour Cream
a couple of sprigs of fresh Parsley, chopped
I served the golabki with my own mushroom gravy. The dish was a hit with all 3 generations of my family. Even my picky 5 year old loved it.
So, I wanted to share it with others who might be looking for ideas for Wigilia dishes, everyday Vegetarian dishes, or even for a frugal dish to stretch the family food budget.
Ingredients:
one Cabbage head
Potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled
2 packs of Mushrooms, stems only, diced and cooked until no liquid remains
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks (I merely was using them instead of another egg since I had left over yolks from baking cookies)
1/2 Onion, diced and caramelized in butter
1 Carrot, diced and boiled until soft
1/2 teaspoon Vegeta (but you could use salt and pepper instead)
2 tablespoons Sour Cream
a couple of sprigs of fresh Parsley, chopped
I used a Savoy cabbage head, since that was on sale at the local grocery store. Yesterday, the cabbage was frozen and this morning I pulled it out to thaw. After about a couple of hours of thawing, I cored the cabbage, peeled off the large green tougher leaves to use as a protective cover on top of the golabki while baking later. The leaves which were too small to stuff, I chopped up to use in the filling.
Potatoes were diced and boiled. Mixed into that were the cooked stems of mushrooms, the caps were used for my mushroom gravy. Also added were a 1/2 onion diced and caramelized in butter, 1 egg, 2 egg yolks, 1 carrot diced and boiled until tender, 1/2 teaspoon of Vegeta, a bit of fresh parsley, and two tablespoons of sour cream.
On top of the golabki, I added 2 more diced and boiled carrots, a very light drizzling of oil, and a sprinkling of Vegeta. They were tucked in under their blanket of tough outer cabbage leaves (the "blanket" keeps them moist and protects them from any burning) and put into the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. I think the dish would also be nice with diced bacon added in the filling to stretch some meat in a frugal dish, but again, Wigilia is traditionally meat free.
Smacznego!
Smacznego!
23 December 2010
Preparing for Wigilia Supper
Tomorrow is Wigilia so I made a few trips to several stores in preparation.
At the Polish store, I bought homemade barszcz, mushroom stuffed uczki, a jar of herrings in oil and onions, pickles, Wroclawski bread, and the oplatki.
At the grocery store, I bought a ham for Christmas day, 4 packs of mushrooms (for sour cream and mushroom gravy, yummm), cabbage and all the ingredients I was lacking for meatless golabki, some fruits, jelly for Kolaczki, fish, and potatoes (I love English Roasted Potatoes).
I have the cabbage in the freezer (a tip I learned from my Polish priests wife, freeze it, thaw it, and it's easier than boiling the cabbage) and have a lot of cooking to do.
So, I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful Wigilia.
Wigilia: A tale about a Polish-American family on Christmas Eve
At the Polish store, I bought homemade barszcz, mushroom stuffed uczki, a jar of herrings in oil and onions, pickles, Wroclawski bread, and the oplatki.
At the grocery store, I bought a ham for Christmas day, 4 packs of mushrooms (for sour cream and mushroom gravy, yummm), cabbage and all the ingredients I was lacking for meatless golabki, some fruits, jelly for Kolaczki, fish, and potatoes (I love English Roasted Potatoes).
I have the cabbage in the freezer (a tip I learned from my Polish priests wife, freeze it, thaw it, and it's easier than boiling the cabbage) and have a lot of cooking to do.
So, I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful Wigilia.
Wigilia: A tale about a Polish-American family on Christmas Eve
12 December 2010
My Favorite Holiday Memories
With Wigilia and Christmas coming, it is time to start planning the celebrations with my family, particularly my children. As any mother does, I draw upon memories of my fondest holidays so that I can enrich my children's holidays as well. In those memories are also family traditions.
We celebrated Wigilia when I was a child and I want to do the same for my children. Wigilia is so special to Poles, it sums up their Christmas celebrations.
I actually wrote details about how it is celebrated in a prior post: http://polishmamaontheprairie.blogspot.com/2010/12/childs-school-project-leaves-me.html
Wigilia for our family always meant the dimming of the lights, lighting of candles, the playing of koledy, special tablecloth on hay, and delicious foods. Church was an important part of the evening as well.
I still can remember how I always thought the lyrics of certain songs were so beautiful. Polish Christmas Carols are Koledy (ko-LEN-dy with the "y" as in Symphony) and many you may have heard of. Some of my personal favorites are:
We also would cut out doves, snowflakes and other shapes to decorate the tree and windows with. This tradition of paper cutting or Wycinanki (pronounced vi-chi-NAN-key) is very popular in Poland and is a very inexpensive way to decorate and add a touch of ethnic whimsy to the holiday. You can also do this with your children as a gift to older people, teachers, etc.
The most important decorations we would pull out were the decorations from our first Christmas in America, as we had to leave all of our previous decorations behind when we left Poland. We would pull out the little plastic Christmas tree, which is so tiny by American Christmas standards, decorate it with candies and place a special candle and miniature of Joseph, Mother Mary, and Baby Jesus by the tree. Even when we had more money and bought a larger tree, we still kept those precious decorations and would discuss their significance to our family history and how fortunate we were. I now have those items and tell their story when I pull them out with my children. Because, after all, Christmas is a time of family and religious stories.
Christmas day was filled with the opening of presents, staying in pajamas all day, and my very hard working father actually relaxing for once. I remember seeing my parents kissing in the kitchen and exchanging little presents together in special moments that married couples with children always relish, that quiet moment together just smiling at each other. I also remember my mother giving us cookies that she had made herself, which were less sweet than the typical grocery store cookie, but so delicious.
And that important phone call to our family in Poland, quickly spoken wishes of "Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia" (literally meaning Joyous Holy Day of the Lord's Birth) because back then a telephone call to Poland could easily cost a couple of hundred dollars for a half hour.
Whatever your Christmas memories, I hope they inspire you to pass on your family traditions and history to your children like they do me...
We celebrated Wigilia when I was a child and I want to do the same for my children. Wigilia is so special to Poles, it sums up their Christmas celebrations.
I actually wrote details about how it is celebrated in a prior post: http://polishmamaontheprairie.blogspot.com/2010/12/childs-school-project-leaves-me.html
Wigilia for our family always meant the dimming of the lights, lighting of candles, the playing of koledy, special tablecloth on hay, and delicious foods. Church was an important part of the evening as well.
I still can remember how I always thought the lyrics of certain songs were so beautiful. Polish Christmas Carols are Koledy (ko-LEN-dy with the "y" as in Symphony) and many you may have heard of. Some of my personal favorites are:
- Lulajze, Jezuniu... (In fact, this song means much much more to me now as a mother, because I can fully grasp these beautiful simple lyrics)
- W Zlobie Lezy Bóg sie rodzi (Which is considered a quintessential Koleda)
- Medrcy swiata
- Dzisiaj w Betleem
- Jezus Malusienki
We also would cut out doves, snowflakes and other shapes to decorate the tree and windows with. This tradition of paper cutting or Wycinanki (pronounced vi-chi-NAN-key) is very popular in Poland and is a very inexpensive way to decorate and add a touch of ethnic whimsy to the holiday. You can also do this with your children as a gift to older people, teachers, etc.
The most important decorations we would pull out were the decorations from our first Christmas in America, as we had to leave all of our previous decorations behind when we left Poland. We would pull out the little plastic Christmas tree, which is so tiny by American Christmas standards, decorate it with candies and place a special candle and miniature of Joseph, Mother Mary, and Baby Jesus by the tree. Even when we had more money and bought a larger tree, we still kept those precious decorations and would discuss their significance to our family history and how fortunate we were. I now have those items and tell their story when I pull them out with my children. Because, after all, Christmas is a time of family and religious stories.
Christmas day was filled with the opening of presents, staying in pajamas all day, and my very hard working father actually relaxing for once. I remember seeing my parents kissing in the kitchen and exchanging little presents together in special moments that married couples with children always relish, that quiet moment together just smiling at each other. I also remember my mother giving us cookies that she had made herself, which were less sweet than the typical grocery store cookie, but so delicious.
And that important phone call to our family in Poland, quickly spoken wishes of "Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia" (literally meaning Joyous Holy Day of the Lord's Birth) because back then a telephone call to Poland could easily cost a couple of hundred dollars for a half hour.
Whatever your Christmas memories, I hope they inspire you to pass on your family traditions and history to your children like they do me...
01 December 2010
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
"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
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