Christmas Eve in Poland

Christmas Eve in Poland

~Blog Post #2~

April 13th, 2015

Olivia Hajnos

     Around A.D. 900, different feast and fasting customs were introduced to Poland from other countries like Italy, Hungary, France, and Ukraine. When Pols fast, no red meat is allowed, so fish is the typical way of getting that protein in. Most of the eating ways for Polish people also originated from the Roman Catholic rituals. In Poland, Christmas Eve is an extremely celebrated holiday because it’s the day before Christ’s birthday. Typically, Pols fast all day until the feasting comes, which is called the Wigilia. This supper normally lasts up to four hours with presents that follow after everyone is done eating. First on Wigilia, we break opłatek, which symbolizes our unity with Christ. After we have our own piece, everyone goes around breaking off a piece from one another wishing good luck and happiness in each other’s lives. Afterwards, we start off with my favorite: borscht or red beet soup. The main course of Wigilia comes into play and typically my mom makes pierogis, fish, stuffed cabbage, braised sauerkraut, herrings, and poppy seed cake. Before any of the cooking happens, there is morning mass the day of Christmas Eve.

To focus on one particular food that is actually considered to be the national food of Poland are the pierogis. They are thin rolled dough that can range between meat and cheese.  Other types of dumplings in Poland are called the uszka. They are never eaten by themselves and are typically served with borscht.  They are filled with mushrooms and meat.

Citations:

"Pierogi – the Best Guide to the Most Popular Polish Food." Pierogi. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

"Food in Every Country." Food in Poland. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

"Wigilia W świecie I Programie Trzecim." PolskieRadio.pl. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.