Christmas is the largest holiday in Poland, celebrated with family over three days - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Some key Polish Christmas traditions include attending Advent services in church with lanterns, waiting for the first star to appear in the sky before beginning the Christmas Eve dinner, sharing wafer and best wishes with one another, setting an extra plate for an unexpected guest, placing hay under the tablecloth to symbolize Jesus's manger, and attending the Pasterka midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

1. Christmas in Poland
Christmas is probably the biggest holiday in
Poland. Polish loves it, because we meet our
family, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ .
Christmas in our country divided into:
-Wigilia (Christmas Eve) – 24 December
-Boże Narodzenie (Christmas Day)– 25
December
-drugi dzień świąt (Boxing day) – 26 December

2. Adwent
• Time when we wait for
Christmas names
”adwent” in church .
Usually it lasts three
weeks and during it we
go to church with
lantern. Mass of that
time is called „roraty”.

3. First star
• When the first star
appears in the sky,
people take their seats
at the christmas table.

4. Wafer
• Before dinner
people share wafer
with one another.
We give one’s best
wishes. We wish
money, happiness
and health.

5. Empty place
• When we prepare
dinner we have an
extra plate and seat for
an unexpected guest.
When somebody
knocks on the door we
should invite him and
offer food.

6. Hay
• Under the
tablecloth we
put hay. It
symbolizes the
place where
Jesus was born –
a crib and hay.

7. Pasterka
• At midnight people
often go to church.
We take part in a
holly mass. It’s
Christmas Midnight
Mass.