Wigilia

Traditions and customs

Children usually decorate the Christmas tree. Sometimes a handful of hay is placed under the tablecloth of the dining table to symbolise Jesus's birth in a manger.

Another tradition is to make an extra place-setting for the "unexpected guest", to celebrate hospitality. The feast begins with saying grace, breaking the opłatek Christmas wafer to symbolize the gift of daily bread, and wishing each other blessings for the coming year. In the country, it was customary to share a special (pink) wafer with livestock and dogs and cats as the animals of the household were to be treated with special reverence on that day, in honour of the animals in the Bethlehem stable. There was a belief that at midnight they were granted the power of human speech.

The Wigilia supper

A Christmas Eve dinner excludes meat, as abstinence is required, and should comprise twelve distinct dishes in memory of the twelve Apostles. It begins with a soup, either borscht with uszka (tortellini), or wild mushroom consommé (grzybowa), followed by herring in different forms. Fish provides the main dish of the Christmas Eve feast across Poland. There are variations of carp fillet, carp in aspic, gefilte fish (Jewish-style carp), sweet with onions, carrots, almonds and raisins or fish in the Greek Style. Side dishes are cabbage, cooked red or sauerkraut with apple salad. The bread served at the meal is often challah, doubtless borrowed from Poland's centuries-long Jewish fellow countrymen. Polish kutia wigilijna, consisting of barley, poppy seeds, honey, and sweetmeats (łakocie) like figs, raisins, and nuts. Then there is an array of desserts, including dried fruit compote, followed by cake: poppy seed cakes, babka, makowiec, and other sweets including edible Christmas ornaments. Regional variants include żurek sour rye soup, siemieniotka (in Silesia), pierogi filled with cheese and potatoes as well as mushrooms and cabbage, stuffed cabbage with mushrooms and rice, gołąbki (cabbage rolls), łazanki, kluski with poppyseed, and makówki (in Silesia). There is in places a belief that whatever happens on Wigilia affects the incoming year; if a quarrel should arise, it foretells a quarrelsome and troublesome year.

The Shepherd's mass

Main article: Shepherd's mass

Some families as well as individual worshippers attend the traditional midnight mass/Shepherd's Mass (pasterka), where Christmas carols are also sung.

A major part of the Wigilia festivities is the opening of gifts. After everyone has finished supper the children often open their gifts and hand out the gifts for the adults from under the tree. The gift-givers in Polish tradition are "Święty Mikołaj" (Saint Nicolas), "Aniołek" (an angel), "Gwiazdka" (a star), "Dzieciątko" (Christkind) in Silesia, Saint Nicholas' feminine counterpart – or the Gwiazdor (masculine), which is either a pagan tradition or represents the little Star of Bethlehem. Saint Nicholas traditionally used to bring gifts on 6 December. This varies and in some families Saint Nicholas brings presents both on the 6th and at Christmas.

The Christmas breakfast

Christmas Day is a national holiday in Poland and most Poles spend the day with their family. After Wigilia there are two more days of celebrations. Christmas breakfast often consists of baked meats, bigos, cold cuts, smoked or fried salmon, marinated salads, and cakes, especially, pierniki Toruńskie (a gingerbread), cake, and decorated biscuits.

Gallery

04550 Christmas wafer, PL 2010.JPG|Christmas wafer opłatek symbolizing bread is shared by participants Barszcz z uszkami1.jpg|Barszcz with uszka, one of the traditional Wigilia entrées Restauracja Aromat, Gołków, Poland, 2019, mushroom soup.jpg|Mushroom soup or consommé is often an alternative for barszcz in parts of Poland Cyprinus carpio. Poland, Christmas.JPG|Carp has dominated as a traditional main course and central dish for decades 04452 Rollmops.jpg| Rollmops, fish commonly served at Wigilia, important as a non-red-meat offering Groch z kapustą.jpg|Kapusta z grochem, cooked sauerkraut with yellow split peas or mushrooms Żywność - 030.JPG|Herring salad with oil and chopped onion as a side dish Makowiec 2.JPG|Makowiec, a poppy seed roll is usually served for dessert Kompot z suszonych sliwek.JPG|Kompot drink made from dried fruit

References

References

1. "Wigilja".