Lenkija

Christmas

1. Christmas is a very festive holiday in Poland. Many customs, ceremonies and beliefs are centred around Christmas Eve, a special day in Polish homes. 
2. An important element contributing to its dignified atmosphere is the Christmas decorations, notably a beautifully adorned Christmas tree. Today it would be difficult to imagine Christmas without it, although it's one of the newest traditions: the first trees appeared in Poland in the 19^th century, mainly in cities, introduced by Germans and Protestants of German origin.
3. Another element of the traditional Christmas decorations was sheaves of wheat and rye, hay and straw. They were supposed to bring good crops and remind everyone of the poverty in which Jesus was born. The custom has survived in the form of a small bunch of hay put under the tablecloth. In some houses this is accompanied today by money, a fish scale or bone put into a wallet – all to ensure affluence in the New Year. 
4. An extra set of plates and cutlery is laid on the table for an unexpected guest. Sometimes an empty plate is a reminder of those who have passed away. 
5. Traditionally, Christmas Eve dinner begins when the first star has appears in the sky. First, there is a prayer, sometimes with a passage from the Scripture about Jesus's birth being read out. 
6. Then the family wishes one another all the best for the New Year and, as a sign of reconciliation, love, friendship and peace, share “opłatek” – Christmas wafers that symbolize holy bread. Orthodox Christians do the same before their Christmas Eve meal by sharing proskura or prosfera, which is unleavened bread. 
7. The dinner consists only of meatless dishes. Traditionally, there should be twelve courses – reflecting the number of months in the year or, in a different interpretation, Christ's apostles.
8. After dinner, Christmas carols are sung. Many people end the day by attending the Midnight Mass known as Pasterka (the Shepherds' Mass). 
9. A popular event during the period after Christmas is the jasełka, a Nativity play staged by amateurs. 
10. In the country, you can still see carollers who go from house to house with a star or Nativity crib. Traditionally, they expect to be tipped for the visit; once the payment was in Christmas delicacies, but today these have been largely replaced by small change. The carolers are often dressed up and improvise scenes that loosely draw upon biblical motifs. Typically, the characters are King Herod, Angel, Devil, Death, sometimes Gypsy and a bear or goat.

New Year’s Eve

1. The New Year's Day and its eve, known in Poland as Sylwester (St. Sylvester's Day), begins the carnival – a period of balls and parties. 
2. One traditional form of having fun was kulig (sleigh ride), for centuries favoured by the Polish gentry and still extremely popular. A cavalcade of horse-pulled sleighs and sledges went from one manor house to another, entertained everywhere with hearty meals followed by dances.
3. Today the rides are less spectacular, usually ending with a bonfire and sausages or the traditional bigos.

Easter

1. On Good Saturday people bring baskets of their Easter fare to church for a special blessing for all the different Easter foods. This typically Polish tradition dates back to the 14^th century. Originally, only a baked lamb made of bread was blessed, but today the basket should contain at least seven kinds of food, each with its own symbolism.
2. Bread, ensuring good fortune, is in Christianity first and foremost a symbol of Christ's body. Eggs stand for re-birth, life's victory over death. Salt is a life-giving mineral, once believed to keep away all evil. Smoked meat ensures health, fertility and abundance. Cheese represents friendship between man and nature. Horseradish is a symbol of strength and physical fitness. Cake (usually an Easter pound cake, round wheat cake and mazurek) was the last item to appear in the Easter basket and it symbolizes skills and perfection.
3. Another Easter custom is the tradition of decorating eggs. The oldest Polish Easter egg comes from the 10^th century and was found at an excavation site in Ostrów Interestingly, it was made in a technique very much like those used today.
4. Decorating Easter eggs has become an element of folk culture, with distinct regional differences. Traditionally, before they are dyed the eggs are painted over (using a funnel-like tool) with a pattern in molten wax, which, when dry, will not adsorb the dye and is later scraped away to leave a traced decoration on the painted egg.
5. Easter Monday, Śmigus-dyngus, is a day on which boys sprinkle girls with water. The original meaning of this ancient custom, which remains extremely popular today, has faded into oblivion.
6. There are also many local Easter customs. Krakow has its long-established Emaus, a folk festivity commemorating the two disciples' meeting the Risen Jesus on the road to Emaus.