In Poland, Christmas Eve is the most solemn evening of the year with rich liturgies. Traditionally, families break opłatek wafers and share a meal when the first star appears in the sky, leaving an empty space at the table to remember absent loved ones. After supper, people sing carols and participate in customs that vary by region, such as pulling the tablecloth from under a straw or giving leftovers to animals believed to speak at midnight. Midnight Mass commemorates the shepherds' visit to Bethlehem.

1. Christmas
traditions
in Poland.

2. EVE
Christmas Eve in the Polish tradition is the most solemn and
most poignant evening of the year. It has a very rich liturgies
home. These rites and customs are an old tradition. Christmas
Eve in general were already known in the Old Testament.
Celebrated it before each ceremony, and even before every
Sabbath. It was preparing to rest festive. The Israelites called
it "evening". The word "Christmas Eve" comes from Latin and
means waiting. This was formerly the custom in the Church,
from the previous day before the larger celebrations in force
post and faithful all night waiting for the ceremony, praying
together.

3. BREAKING WAFER
This tradition comes from the ancient custom called „eulogiów” that survived
the first centuries of Christianity. Christmas Eve refers to the feasts of the
early Christians, organized to commemorate the Last Supper. This custom is
also meant to sacrifice one for the other and learns that even divide the last
piece of bread. We make a wish for prosperity and forgive injuries. The name
"wafer" is derived from the Latin word „oblatum”, ie offering. Historically,
human sacrifices to an unknown the forces - water, lightning bolts, winds,
earthquakes, to protect ourselves from everything that might threaten him.
Wafers, which we now know were the first to bake the monks of the
Benedictine monastery in France. From there, the custom spread throughout
Europe, and together with Christianity arrived well as Polish.

4. FREE SPACE AT THE TABLE
The well-known and widespread in Poland is now a
habit of leaving space at the table Christmas Eve. This
place is sometimes mainly intended for the casual
visitor. Leaving a space at the table also express the
memory of our loved ones who can not spend the
Christmas with us. This space can also draw all our
memory of the deceased family member.

5. FIRST STAR
In Poland, Christmas Eve supper began when
the sky appeared the first star. This was
done probably in memory of the star of
Bethlehem, which is by the Evangelist, St.
Matthew, the Magi saw, also called the Kings
Magi.

6. AFTER SUPPER
Historically, after supper, in addition to singing carols, in
many parts of the Polish practiced different customs. And so,
in the Warmia and Mazury, when revelers still sitting at the
table, pulled the tablecloth out from under a straw. If you
pulled the straw straight, the person who held out, waiting
for a simple life, without the dangers. If the straw was
contorted, it's a person waiting next year winding life. In
Mazowsze, leftovers were given to animals. It was believed
that at midnight, at least some of them, spoke with a human
voice. This was especially cattle, because it was present at
the birth of the Child and as a reward received the gift of
speaking with a human voice on the night of Christmas Eve.

7. SHEPHERDESS
It ends on Christmas Eve. This the Mass
celebrated in churches exactly at midnight.
According to tradition, it commemorates the
arrival in Bethlehem shepherds and submit their
homage to the newborn the Child. The habit of
exercising the Christmas Liturgy in the Church of
the night was introduced in the second half of the
fifth century.

8. CHRISTMAS CAROL
Another custom introduced by the Church, are visiting
parishioners in the Christmas period made by the parish
priest or priests. They bring good tidings, enjoying
enormous and bless the house and its inhabitants, in
return, receive a symbolic sacrifice formerly called carol.
This tradition, known in the Middle Ages, remained in
Poland to modern times.

9. NATIVITY SCENES
In Poland, the nativity scene appeared very early, probably already
in the Middle Ages. Originally staged in churches cribs were
extremely simple, it remained faithful to evangelical transfers. In the
nineteenth century created various regional forms of Polish nativity
cribs. The best known and most interesting are the cribs Cracow,
whose architecture is inspired by the historic buildings of Krakow.
Krakow Nativity scenes often became performances dolls, which on
miniature scenes illuminated candles popping up all sorts of action
figures. Today, Christmas cribs are built in all Polish churches.

10. THE
END