Polish Christmas Traditions: How Do We Celebrate Christmas in Poland? (2024)

FAQs

Polish Christmas Traditions: How Do We Celebrate Christmas in Poland? ›

Among the traditional Christmas, dishes are Christmas Eve carp, Jewish-style carp, the herring, pierogi, and poppy seed cake. After dinner, people start gifting the presents and singing carols. Poland really loves its Christmas carols. And there are thousands of them.

Christmas in Poland is called "Boże Narodzenie", which translates to 'God's Birth'. The Day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December is the unofficial beginning of the festive season in Poland. Well-behaved children receive small gifts on the day, whereas naughty children receive a lump of coal or a twig, called "rózga".

Grzaniec galicyjski, is the name for the specific type of mulled wine that you will find at Polish Christmas markets. Aside from Christmas markets, you can also find these drinks served in bars, restaurants or homemade in the kitchen.

3 Days of Christmas!

In Poland, Christmas does not just last for one day, but for three! Christmas celebrations begin on the 24th with Wigilia. The 25th is Christmas Day, known as the First Day of Christmas in Poland, is more relaxed.

Christmas Eve Supper, known as wigilia, is one of the most longstanding and widely cherished of Polish rituals. In the vast majority of homes, both among believers or non-believers, a formal meal is celebrated and served on the table which is covered with a white tablecloth.

In south-west Poland, the presents are often brought by an actual star. Young ones keenly watch the skies on Christmas Eve, waiting for the appearance of the first star, knowing that this event magically causes their presents to arrive beneath the tree.

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. Accompaniments consist of cabbage, cooked red or sauerkraut with apple salad.

Today's Christmas dinner usually opens with cold plates, including varieties of soused herring, followed by borscht or mushroom soup, and then the hot dishes: often carp, pierogi stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, and croquettes. Dessert usually comes as gingerbread, poppy seed cake, kutya or sour cheesecake.

Wigilia—derived from the Latin term "vigil"—is the traditional Christmas Eve supper in Poland. Also known as the Star Supper, Wigilia is the main focus of Polish Christmas celebrations.

What is Poland's signature dish? ›

Pierogi. Pierogi are filled dumplings containing either meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit or chocolate. Pierogi is undoubtedly Poland's most famous and simple comfort food.

Polish: Święty Mikołaj (lit. Saint Nicholas)

The academic year in Poland is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each – the winter and the summer semester. The winter semester starts in October and ends in mid-February, with a break of about ten days for the Christmas holidays.

The end of the annual holiday season in Poland is marked with one of the biggest celebrations of the year – Christmas.

The meal is traditionally meat free, this is to remember the animals who took take of the baby Jesus in the manger. Everyone has to eat or at least try some of each dish.

The drowning of Marzanna

On the first day of spring, Polish celebrate the departure (or demise) of winter by the 'Drowning (and sometimes burning) of Marzanna'. This tradition is rooted in the pre-Christian sacrificial rites of Slavic Pagans.

The latter method is a tradition surrounding Christmas Eve carp in Slovakia, Poland, and Czechia. A symbol of good luck and classic meat-free meal for Christians, common carp makes a popular holiday dish in Central Europe.

Baubles, paper cutouts, chains, pastries small and large, blown eggs are still all made year in year out in many regions of Poland and have some names you may not have heard of! “Right after the first Sunday everyone would sit at the kerosene lamp in the evenings.

The sharing of the opłatek takes place in the beginning of the Christmas Eve which is known in Poland as “Wigilia”. The concept is relatively simple. Every person around the table has an opłatek which he or she will share with every other person around that same table.

Saint Nicholas continues to bring presents on 6 December, in a tradition that is observed by families and in schools throughout Poland. And across most of the country, Santa is also the most popular purveyor of presents at Christmas too in most parts of the country.

What is a common Polish dinner? ›

A traditional Polish dinner is composed of three courses, beginning with a soup like the popular rosół broth and tomato soup. At restaurants, the soups are followed by an appetizer such as herring (prepared in either cream, oil, or in aspic), or other cured meats and vegetable salads.

A twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared to commemorate Jesus' twelve disciples in Central, Northern and Eastern European cultures, especially those that were formerly part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries.

The most typical Sunday dinner consists of a pork chop (called schabowy), potatoes and some salad. It is great because making pork chops requires hitting the meat and that allows polish people to take out all the anger they have and as well do some exercise. And after all that it tastes great.

As a rule, Poles do not drink alcohol on Christmas Eve. A special compote is made of dried fruits, primarily plums and apricots. This tastes quite unusual and is unpalatable for some; however, it somehow always seems tasty when eaten at Christmas.

In strict keeping with old Catholic tradition, Poles usually abstain from meat and hard liquor on Christmas Eve. However, wine and fish are acceptable, and the latter is abundantly featured in traditional dishes.

Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year.

The wife breaks off a piece of the oplatek and eats it. She then reciprocates the good wishes and shares the wafer with her husband. And the ceremonial sharing of wafer and good wishes continues with older relatives, guests and children, starting with the oldest.

Polish men are usually very straight forward and like nothing more than a bottle of their favourite vodka like Soplica. Other gifts include Aftershave or clothes. Simple gifts like Chocolate Plums or our zlota wisnia can also be an excellent Polish gift.

Visits from family and friends may occur unannounced in Poland. People may bring a bottle of wine, flowers (see Gift Giving below) or chocolates as a courtesy gift on arrival. The host will usually open these or place them on a table so that both hosts and guests can enjoy what was brought.

Why Do Poles Leave One Chair Empty on Christmas Eve? Polish Christmas traditions are some of the most enchanting composites of Polish culture and heritage. Leaving a chair empty at the Christmas table may be one of the most popular customs, but few people know its interesting history.

What is Poland's breakfast? ›

8:30 – 'Śniadanie' (breakfast)

Poles often start the day with meat or eggs. They commonly have what they call 'a sandwich', meaning a slice of bread topped with cold cuts or kiełbasa, or scrambled eggs. There can also be a side of dairy – either kefir, or quark cheese mixed with radishes.

Poland: Vodka is regarded a national beverage as some sources consider it to have originated in Poland, dating back to 15th century. Other distinctive alcoholic drinks feature bison grass vodka, krupnik, variety of traditional tinctures (nalewka) like piołunówka, along with traditional Polish meads.

Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia (which translates to Merry Christmas Holidays) is something you could say as a formal Polish Christmas greeting or something you could write on your Christmas cards to everyone, from your boss to your best buddy.

Wesołych Świąt and other holiday words

“We wish you a Merry Christmas” is “Życzymy Wesołych Świąt.”

Background. Many Christians in Poland and around the world celebrate St Stephen's Day/Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas Day. It is also known as the second day of Christmas.

The Santa Claus emoji 🎅 portrays the face of Santa Claus, the legendary Christmas figure.

Christmas in Poland involves having a lavish feast on the Christmas Eve, or what is called Wigilia. The traditional Poland Christmas food consists of a full 12 dishes, each signifying an apostle. The dishes are usually meatless, but fish is exempt.

At Christmas, it is common to give small gifts to service workers such as postal workers, refuse collectors, etc. If invited to a Pole's home for dinner, it is polite to bring wine, flowers, pastries or sweets for the hostess.

Christmas Day is an official public holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. There is a trade prohibition on public holidays in Poland.

Standard hours

Working hours are usually from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM or 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, often with up to one hour of an unpaid break for lunch. On average, employees are expected to work 40 hours per week (8 hours a day - 5 days a week).

Is December 6 a holiday in Poland? ›

In Poland (and other countries) Saint Nicholas comes with presents for children on the 6th of December. This holiday is known as Dzien Świętego Mikołaja or Mikołajki (Saint Nicholas' Day). (Mikołaj is the Polish name for Nicholas.)

When Is Whit Sunday 2023? 28May2023PolandSun, May 28, 2023 Add to calendar.

Poland is a largely catholic country and Christmas Eve is a very important and busy day. It's now often the most important day over Christmas - even though it's not a holiday but Christmas and the 26th December are holidays!

Christmas In Poland: Top 10 Places To Visit Before The 2023 Vacation Ends. Poland is mainly a Catholic nation and so Christmas in Poland is also celebrated on 25th of December, just like in other Western countries. The celebrations are carried out in both a public and family setting.

Christmas Day is a national holiday in Poland on December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a festive event and many people have the day off work and school.

Poles are generally friendly and active people, who like to keep themselves busy with extracurricular activities, trips, and family get-togethers. You're likely to find a close-knit family with grandparents often living in the home.

Today's Christmas dinner usually opens with cold plates, including varieties of soused herring, followed by borscht or mushroom soup, and then the hot dishes: often carp, pierogi stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, and croquettes. Dessert usually comes as gingerbread, poppy seed cake, kutya or sour cheesecake.

Like in many Christian nations, Christmas is a religious holiday in Poland. In Polish, Christmas is called Boże Narodzenie, which literally translates to “God's Birth.” Christians wait all month to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, in a period known as Advent.

What do you say to Polish on Christmas Eve? ›

Wesołych Świąt and other holiday words

The complete way to say “Merry Christmas” is “Wesołych Świąt Boże Narodzenie.” Boże Narodzenie literally means “God's birth.” “We wish you a Merry Christmas” is “Życzymy Wesołych Świąt.” “Christmas tree” is “choinki.”

There is no exaggeration in stating that carp is a culinary symbol of Polish Christmas Eve. On this day, Poles usually eat the fish fried in batter or breadcrumbs, served cold in a jelly, or simmered with sweet seasonings – the so-called Jewish carp recipe.

Poland observes eleven public holidays, enshrined in the country's law as well as the nation's tradition dear - one way or another - to every Pole. And two of them, Easter and Christmas, last two days. However, Polish national holidays aren't equal.