Letter from Poland.

 

A very Polish Christmas

31.12.2007
This year record numbers of people have come over from the UK to spend Christmas in Poland.
By Ania Piwowarska
The majority of the thirty thousand air passengers are Poles returning to see their families, but there are also a few thousand Brits who are accompanying them to see how we spend this very special day. So, what can they expect from a typically Polish Christmas?
Well, the most obvious difference is that Poles celebrate Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. This means that you have the whole day, filled with stress and excitement, to build up to the evening. The atmosphere in which the day is passed is traditionally said to be important, foretelling the atmosphere of the upcoming New Year. So that means no family tensions are allowed. Although, is often difficult to avoid, particularly as everyone is expected to fast that day which will.
When the Christmas meal is finally served, it is very different to the turkey roast that most Brits are used to. Soup is either 'barszcz' (that’s beetroot soup) or mushroom soup, both loved by most foreigners that I know. That’s not necessarily so when it comes to the main course – fish in gelatin. I’ve never been a fan of the heavy greasy carp but thankfully there are so many other options on the table that you need not worry. There are 'pierogi' (dumplings with various fillings), spring rolls with mushrooms and sauerkraut and of course one should leave room for poppy seed cake.
An important part of the Christmas table is the extra setting that is traditionally set. It is meant for any unexpected guest who may appear suddenly (this is thought to be Christ in the figure of a stranger). It is also symbolic of close relatives who have passed away. For those who have seen Andrzej Wajda’ s latest film ‘Katyń’, this tradtion is used in the film to evoke the poignancy of war. A Polish general’s wife asks her housekeeper to set an extra setting, at the Christmas table. The housemaid points out that she has already done so. The general’s wife says that the setting at the table is that of her husband, the missing general. Then the film cuts to the general sitting alone in a Soviet camp, with an empty plate in front of him, in the background the melancholic sound of soldiers singing Christmas carols. One can only imagine how poignant this extra setting must have been for women awaiting their husbands to come back from war. Particularly as they often were lost at war, so the extra setting was literally for those who had passed away, though their families may not yet have known so.
One of the nicest of traditions on Christmas Eve is the sharing of the ‘opłatek’ (the Christmas wafer). Even if you’re an atheist, you’d be hard pushed not to take part in this very moving part of Christmas Eve. What you do, is you break your piece of the wafer with every single member of the family, giving them wishes for the upcoming year. This can be tricky, if you’re not on very good terms with one member of the family but in my experience many feuds often get forgotten about, at least temporarily, at this special moment. What is interesting is that in the olden days in the countryside, the wafer was also shared with the horses, sheep and cattle that were even sometimes brought into the home. Pagan beliefs said that feeding the animals with traditional Christmas Eve food was to protect the live stock for the upcoming year. Also, it is said that at midnight the animals are talk in a human voice. Well, my in-laws have three cats and a dog so I’ll be keeping an eye out for that.
I must admit that the Christmas tree is not the Pole’s strong point. Perhaps I’ve got used to posh English Victorian style decorations so I find in difficult to appreciate the gaudy baubles and multi-coloured lights that weigh down most Polish trees. Last year I rebelled by purchasing some traditional decorations made by elderly artisans from remote corners of Poland – they were angels, chickens, stars etc. made of hay, bees wax, wood and gingerbread. They were truly beautiful and unique but unfortunately got squashed or eaten so didn’t make it till this year.
So what about presents then? Well, what is refreshing is that presents are much less important than they are in the UK. They are usually opened after the meal, which is often quite late. And there is not such an emphasis on who gave what to whom. Presents are unmarked and are said to come from Father Christmas so you can blame him if you don’t like what you get. This can also come in rather handy when your gifts are a little modest or you haven’t bought enough to go around. In Poland, no one’s counting.
One of my favourite parts of Christmas Eve is the singing. I much prefer Polish Christmas carols (kolędy) to English ones, mainly as they bring to mind faded, nostalgic memories of childhood Christmases. Song sheets (kolędniki) are often printed out and foreigners are expected to join in, even if they can’t pronounce or understand the words that they’re singing. The most important thing is to sing loudly and with heart.
And of course, the last element of Christmas is midnight mass. I must admit, I haven’t been for a while but am planning on going this year. Often the church is so full that you can’t even get inside but that doesn’t matter. Often it’s nicer outside - in the moonlight with snowflakes gently falling on your head…. I’d like to wish “Wesołych Świąt” to all our listeners around the world!