1. Christmas in Poland - according to the Polish tradition - how
Poles celebrate this important holidays.
Christmas is a very important moment for the Poles. It is often called the
family day. It is celebrated liberally and according to the old tradition of the
country. It is a spiritual and mythical celebration, and it always remains it,
which is rather rare in our world of today, directed rather towards pure
consumption.
Although Christmas is a religious festival, it is also a symbol. A symbol of new
life, a symbol of peace, conciliation, an exceptional time when all is possible
and when even the enemies have the chance to be put into agreement. It is
above all a whole symbol of the united family and diving in love and happiness.
It is the time which gives the direction of safety, heat, mutual comprehension.
It has its own environments, its own flavours, single and remain deeply in the
hearts of people.
Obviously, the habits vary a little in the different areas.
The preparations with Christmas begin already a few weeks before, by the
Advent. It is the time of the waiting. It is rather rare to see people organizing
something during this time, it is rather the time of silence during which people
seek their serenity. It is not rare, even now, to see people who make sacrifices,
such as for example: not to eat candies or to void drinking alcohol. One of the
traditions, as in other countries, it is to make cribs (the most famous Polish
cribs (szopki) are those called "Cracovian" or of Cracow).
The children often prepare their own decorations for the fir tree and the table.
Christmas, is Boże Narodzenie (birth of God) in Polish, is also called in the
Polish language "Gwiazdka", which wants to say in English "a small star" in
the exact translation of Polish.
Christmas in Poland lasts 2 days: 25th and 26th December, but the most
important day is the day before Christmas, on December 24. It is Wigilia in
Polish language is the equivalent of French Midnight supper. It is the day
which, according to habits', decides chance and success for the New Year. It is

2. then very important to live this day in peace, good mood and good health, full
of energy, because that says that all the year will be good.
Everyone rises early (not to be lazy all year!) and the last preparations start.
When almost all work is made, the Christmas tree is decorated. In certain
families, it is done some time in advance. Some use the decorations bought in
shops or home made. Some put also candies, cakes, which could be then
eaten. The fir tree, according to the tradition, must remain until January 6.
Obviously, under the fir tree, the gifts are or will be put, by Santa Claus who is
generally called in Poland Swiety Mikolaj, that is to say in exact translation in
English Saint Nicolas. (Interesting: the festival of Saint Nicolas, on December
6, is also celebrated in Poland as the day during which gifts are offered to
children in priority!)
Once the entire menu is ready to be served, the table is set. First of all, one
puts hay (or straw) on the table - that points out to us the origins of Jesus,
born in a cattle shed. That must also enable us to have a good luck (for which
nothing misses) all the year. Then, the table with a white tablecloth is covered.
It is obligatory to leave one free plate, for a visitor not awaited who could
come, as in memory with those of the members of the family who cannot be
any more with us. The menu generally contains 12 different dishes and does
not contain meat because it is the day of deficiency - and the food of all this
day must be simple, without meat and without alcohol.
In the same way, the menu of Christmas is also simple: especially the fish with
carp in several different dishes, mushrooms, vegetable and fruit. But in spite of
the simplicity of the products, the receipts are often complicated and often
require several hours of preparation, in which all family takes part in the tasks
- each one wishes to be being useful and the preparations are most make an
exceptional environment for the midnight supper.
The
men
u is
often
a
little
differ
ent
in
each
area and varies according to families, but many of dishes are similar. Thus
soups: barszcz, zurek or the soup with fish, the sauerkraut cooked with dry
peas or dry mushrooms, pierogi - uszka (exact translation in English: small
ears) is the ravioli with mushrooms, the ravioli with sauerkraut, the small
raviolis, carp (in different ways of preparation), the herring in vinegar or in
different salads, the salads with the dry fruits, the kutia (the mixture of poppy,
nut, honey, corn, grapes) useful with small simple cakes, the poppy, the
eternal potatoes, different cakes - of which that with the poppy (which must

3. also bring back happiness all the year), as well as the gingerbread or small
honey and gingerbreads, symbolizing the wealth of family all the year, the
cakes with the grapes, nuts and with the dry fruits, hazel nuts symbolizing the
success, the fruits varied, of which apples symbolizing the beauty and good
health.
The most important "dish" on the table it is the oplatek (unleavened bread, as
for the communion), because it is the symbol of division and conciliation.
Resulting from the especially religious tradition (prepared in several formats
and dimensions, it presents scenes of the birth of the Jesus child), it is today a
symbol of peace and love and that for all people, without taking into account
their religion. Even the politics meet before Christmas with "oplatek" to divide
it between them and symbolically with all the Polish people. These meetings of
the "oplatek" are also organized in certain companies, schools, clubs, etc. So,
people who work together or who meet for different activities, express their
friendship and the respect the ones for the others.
It is a so important tradition, which those which cannot pass from Midnight
supper together exchange the oplatek by sending it by the post office
accompanied by a postcard with the wishes - a very popular habit in Poland.
But let us return to a family celebration on December 24 in the evening, when
the first star appears on the sky the oldest of the family starts, he/she divides
the oplatek and all members exchange wishes to each other. It is the mythical
moment, when everyone forgives all the bad moments and promises to start
again a new life.
Interesting: in old times, people shared also their oplatek with their animals.
This tradition is always present in certain areas and certain families. And one
said that this exceptional night, even the animals speak the human language.
Then, people sit at the table (the old tradition said to sit according to the age)
and the dinner starts. It is important at least to try all the dishes not to know
the hunger the next year and to have a good luck. It is also preferable not to
rise and not to leave the table before the end of the dinner. This is why all the
dishes are put on the table at the beginning to eat it so that everyone tries it
and nobody gets up to serve the dishes one after the other.
Once the dinner finished, one distributes presents and one continues the
evening by singing Christmas songs (called in Polish "koledy" - which will be

4. still present in the everyday life during a few weeks). The evening generally
finishes around midnight and the family can go to the midnight mass
(pasterka), which in Poland is always at midnight. It is preferable not to clear
the table, but to leave it until the following day (for nothing to miss the next
year).
The 25th and 26th December, the Poles go to visit each other always in family,
they gather at the table and consume all food so preciously prepared.

5. Some Christmas Eve dishes recipes
Bigos –Christmas Cabbage
After preparing the large Christmas Eve dinner, the lady of the house (and her staff if she was
fortunate to have them) needed to relax. Bigos was prepared to be served on the following
days as it only needed reheating. There are many variations as there are homes, but the
following is the basic recipe, the ingredients listed provide 8 servings, adjust as needed.
Basic ingredients
 Pickled cabbage - 2 lbs (1kg)
 Dried mushrooms - 2 oz. (50g) - (optional)
 Onion
 1 carrot
 Vegetable oil- 4 tablespoons
 flour - 1 tablespoon
 freshly shredded pepper, salt and some sugar
Rinse mushrooms under current water,put them to the
souspan and pour1 glass of warm boiled water on
them. Leave it for several hours over night. The next
day boil the mushrooms in the same water about 20
minutes. Strain the mushrooms keeping separately brew and mushrooms. Cut them into small
pieces.
Drain pickled cabbage well, chop and put it in a heavy pot (preferably cast-iron or cast
aluminium .Next add the brew made from mushrooms to the cabbage. Cook, uncovered for 15
minutes on medium heat, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 40 min until
cabbage is tender
Peel and clean thecarrot, rub off on a grater . Add grated carrots to cabbage 10 minutes before
the end of cooking.
Slice onion into small pieces and fry with two tablespoons of oil, warm up the remaining 2
spoons of oil on the frying pan, add flour and heat it up stirring until the flour becomes light
brown.
Flour , onion and mushroom add to to the cooked cabbage. Mix it all and cook for a while. Add
some salt, pepper and sugar according to your taste.
Pickled cabbage with beans – cooked pickled cabbage can be mixed with beans and served
during Christmas Eve. Tastes even better when prepared some days in advance.
Ingridients
75 dag of pickled cabbage,
6 spoons of butter or oil,
3/4 glass of shelled beans
l onion,
freshly shredded pepper,
salt.
Place the bean in the boiling water and put away for a half an
hour. Next drain the bean and put some fresh water .Bring to
boiling on small fire, until it is quite soft. After that strain the
bean through the sieve and mix it. Chop the cabbage and pour

6. with 2 glasses of boiling water make it come to boiling on small fire. When it is quite soft add
the bean and mix it together .Chop the onion, fry on the oil, and add to cabbage. Put some salt
and pepper and mix it again.After that boil it and put away for a night in a cool place. Before
sou serve it boil on small fire, often stirring and alternatively add some seasoning as needed..
It contains 100 g - 110 kcal.

7. Polish beetroot soup with dumplings
Ingredients
4 beetroots 1 carrot 2 sticks celery 1 large
onion 3 leaves cabbage 4 large dried
mushrooms Dill to taste Splash of cider
vinegar
For the dumplings 2 dried mushrooms,
soaked in a little hot water 100g plain flour,
plus extra for dusting 1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp
water 1 tbsp butter 4 fresh brown button
mushrooms, chopped 1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp chopped dill 1 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
Method
1. For the soup: soak the dried mushrooms
in a cup of hot water to soften for about half
an hour. Take out and chop fine (keep the
liquid). Put the beetroot into a saucepan with
the carrot, celery, onion, cabbage, finely
chopped mushroom pieces, and sprig of dill,
and water to cover. Bring it to the boil and
turn the heat off, leaving the lid on (do not lift
the lid up to peak inside!) and leave for an
hour. While this is happening you can start
making the dumplings.
2. Dumplings: sift the flour into a bowl season with salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in the
center and add the egg and water. Mix thoroughly, and then knead the dough until smooth.
(Do this by hand so you can keep an eye on the texture; when you start to knead it can be
sticky but this goes away. If your dough gets sticky again you have over kneaded!) Wrap it in
cling film and set aside while you make the filling:
3. Soak the mushrooms in a little water for half an hour. Take out and chop as finely as you
can (again keep the liquid). Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the
fresh mushrooms and onion and fry for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the onion begins to
color. Add the rehydrated mushrooms and liquid; heat and cook, stirring until most of the
liquid evaporates. Then stir in the dill and the breadcrumbs. Take off the heat and leave to
cool. (At this point you can have a cup of tea!)
4. Divide the dough into eight pieces; roll out each one thinly on a lightly floured
board/surface. Cut the sheet of dough into 5cm squares. Do one square at a time: place a
teaspoonful of the filling in the center, fold the square up and over it, to make a triangle and
then crimp the edges together. You should be looking at a large triangle now. The next step is
to take the two corners of the longest inwards so that they overlap, and crimp them together
too. Set each one aside on a floured board while you make the rest.
5. Take a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Gently add the dumplings, Turn the
heat down to simmer, stirring gently (this is to stop them sticking). Bring the water back to the
boil and simmer for about 3 minutes – the dumplings are ready when they float to the top.
6. Strain the soup (discard the vegetables). Reheat the soup until hot, adding a tiny bit of
vinegar to taste (taste the soup first: you may decide not to add any). If you do add vinegar,
the soup will have a sharp edge to it, without loosing the sweetness of the beetroot and will
keep that rich red color (lemon juice works as well).

8. Poppy Seed or Nut Roll
8 cups flour
1 pkg. dry yeast
1 stick of butter or margarine melted
5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups of warm milk
Filling:
1 lb. poppy seed or ground nuts
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks margarine or butter
1 cup milk, hot
1 lemon rind
Combine all filling ingredients and beat
well.
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm
milk. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and
eggs. Add remainder of the milk, butter and yast mixture. Beat until elastic. Sprinkle top with
a little flour and cover with a cloth. Let stand in a warm place until double in size. Punch down.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Put on floured board and roll out into a rectangle. Spread cool
filling and sprinkle with raisins. Roll like a jelly roll. Place in greased pan and let stand to rise
again. Brush top with margarine or butter bake for 45-60 min in 350 degree oven.