Christmas

My first visit to Poland was in early December several years ago. My Ciocia (aunt), with whom we were staying in Krakow, sent us to walk to the old center of town. My sister and I were not quite sure what my Ciocia had in mind for us to see, but we obediently dressed warm and walked to the Rynek (Main Market Square). On this day, all people brought their Szopki (nativity scenes) for display, for competition and for a grand parade around the market place.

Read more: Nativity Scenes from an Exhibition in Krakow

Since I moved to the USA, I miss the atmosphere of Christmas in Poland. I am not trying to say that the traditions of Polish Christmas are any better than the American Christmas. It is just that my childhood memories of Christmas with my family are dearest to me and cannot be replaced.

Read more: Polish Christmas: My Memories from Silesia

In Poland a New Year's Eve is called commonly sylwester. Every day in a Polish calendar is devoted to a saint. The celebration of the name is called namesday (Polish - imieniny). Often namesday is much more important in a life of a Pole than a birthday, except of some important birthdays like 18, 25, 50 etc. Since not every name has its saint but everybody want to have a namesday - some names are addigned to a calendar on a certain day even without a saint!

Read more: How Poles celebrate the New Year's Eve (Sylwester)

Children today mark the opening day of the Christmas two days after Halloween. When I was a child in Hamtramck (Michigan, near Detroit) the Christmas Season began at the most, two weeks before Christmas. It seemed that the snow was piled up to at least nose height and the air was cold and crisp. The daytime was not very exciting but evening and nighttime brought a different, magical quality to an otherwise mundane city. It was during that time that my family and other families would stroll through the commercial district. Stroll? yes, stroll. The world was just coming out of the Depression and now we were engaged in a world war. Who had a car or needed one?

Read more: Christmas in Hamtramck in Polish-American Family - Childhood Memories