The Christmas Eve supper

According to the tradition, we

have to start supper when the
first star appears in the night sky.
To us, it is a symbol of the Star of
Betlehem, which guided Three
Wise Men to the place of Jesus
birth. The supper starts with a
prayer and reading an excerpt
from the Holy Bible about birth
of Christ. Then people share the
wafer. On the table, there are
usually 12 dishes, just like a
number of months in a year, but
in some regions people make
more or less of them. The most
popular Christmas food is
borscht with ravioli, pierogies
(dumplings, usually stuffed with
cabbage and mushrooms),
various kinds of fish and cabbage
with pea. There is a tradition
that people need to try every
single one of those 12 dishes to
have good luck in every month
of the year. Polish families also
leave an empty place setting for
an unexpected guest because
they believe that no one should
be alone during Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day 25th December

The 25th of December is the day when
Polish people are celebrating it with
their families. A lot of people go to
church that day, even if they were on
the Sheperds Mass earlier. Its a public
holiday, just like 26th December, so
everyone can spend these days with
their dearest people.

Christmas in
Poland

Joint School in Zakrzewo

The Jan Kasprowicz
Secondary School
3a Lena Street
87707 Zakrzewo
tel./fax. 54 272 00 82
e-mail: gimzakrzewo@wp.pl

Christmas is a major celebration

in Poland, alongside Easter.
Polish people usually celebrate
it with their families. Christmas
traditions in Poland are
combination of old pagan
customs with the religious ones.
The most important day is 24th
December Christmas Eve. On
this day, according to tradition,
Poles eat a special supper,
called wieczerza wigilijna. This
day is also the one when people
give gifts to each other and
offer best wishes.

Sharing a wafer / Exchanging

Christmas greetings
Sharing a
wafer

The Christmas
Eve supper

Sharing a wafer is the most important

tradition of Christmas Eve supper. This
special wafer is a sort of white bread, made
from white flour and water, without adding
yeast. When people share it, they give each
other best wishes for Christmas and incoming
New Year. This custom has survived in the
Polish tradition since 19th century and its
unknown in the most countries of the world,
except Poland and Lithuania. Sharing the
wafer means a will to be together on
Christmas and forgiveness, because no one
wants to eat Christmas supper while being
cross with anyone.

Dumplings

Shepherds Mass (Pasterka)

Shepherds
Mass
(Pasterka)

Pasterka is a Mass celebrated at midnight

24/25 December. Its really important for
Polish Catholics, beacuse thats the moment
of remembrance of Christs birth. People
sing Christmas carols at that Mass, and the
whole celebration makes everyone feel a
solemn and joyful spirit. In the churches
there are also nativity scenes (exhibitions
representing the scene of birth of Jesus),
sometimes there are real animals in them.
For the most Polish people, participating in
Pasterka is equivalent to the celebration of
Christmas.

Christmas
tree