CHRISTMAS IN POLAND

1. CHRISTMAS IN POLAND by the students from Szkoła Podstawowa nr 3 im. Arki Bożka w Rydułtowach

2. Christmas is one of the most religious holidays in Poland. Our town is located in Silesia – it is the region in the southwest part of Poland. The traditions are quite different here but they are very rich, varied and colourful, too. We are going to tell you how we spend Christmas not only in Poland, but in Silesia, too. Poland There is a coal mine in our town, Rydułtowy. Silesia is famous for its coal mines.

3. Preparation – it is really special time! We wait for Christmasfor four Sundays – in church this period is called Advent. In many houses, there are Advent wreaths with four candles. Each Sunday, we light one more candle. When all four candles burn, Christmas is very close to you! This wreath is also a decoration on a Christmas table.

4. In Advent, children go to church every day in the morning or in the afternoon for special services that are called roraty. It is dark so children carry lanterns to light their way.

5. Another tradition connected with Christmas is baking cookies! We bake them in December with our families and the best thing is decorating them! This photo was taken last school year when some French guests visited our school because of the Comenius project.

6. 24th of December is a really unusual day! Here, in Silesia, we have got many symbolic behaviours. For example, you can not sleep long on this day. If you get up early, probably you will be lucky next year. We also decorate our Christmas trees on 24th December. Some people do it earlier: two or even three weeks before Christmas, but traditionally you should do it in the morning on this day.

7. Christmas table We put some hay under white tablecloths. It’s the symbol that Jesus was born in a stable. There is a cross and the Advent wreath on the table. There is also one extra plate for an unexpected guest.

8. All families gather at the Christmas tables. The youngest members of the families wait for the first star looking through a window. When the first star appears, we start our Christmas dinner. First of all, we share the holy wafer and we wish one another the best. Sometimes, we read aloud the Bible about Jesus’s birth. The holy wafer

9. The food depends on the region. Here we present the most popular food in Silesia: You can eat some borsch with ravioli, peas soup, fish soup, siemieniotka (sweet linseed soup) or mushroom soup. As the main course we eat fish – fried, baked or cooked; especially a carp is very popular. Borsch with ravioli (barszcz z uszkami) Fish are served by many sorts.

10. Many people can’t imagine this special dinner without pierogi (a kind of stuffed dumplings) with cabbage and mushrooms. In Silesia we’ve got also moczka –gingercake soup with plums and dried fruit and makówki – it’s made of poppy seed, dried fruit, sugar and bread roll dunked in milk. Silesian moczka pierogi makówki

11. After the dinner, we sing Christmas carols and look for some presents under the Christmas tree. In Silesia, children believe the presents are given by Dzieciątko (little baby Jesus). Santa Claus visits us on 6th December so he’s free on Christmas day. The evening ends with pasterka – a special mass that takes place at midnight. presents

12. 25th of December is a day you should spend at home with your family, resting and enjoying their presence. 26th of December is a good day for visits. Many people go to churches or town squares where they can see szopka – the Nativity scene with real animals and people; especially children enjoy it.

13. If you come to Poland, you can see that each part of our country has its own traditions and customs. One thing doesn’t change – it’s the blissful and joyous time for everyone.Merry Christmas – Wesołych Świąt! Christmas at our school last year