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ACTIVITY 7A: POLISH CALENDAR OF CELEBRATIONS

  • May 2019 - POLISH CALENDAR

    New Year's Eve

    On the last day of the year in Poland the New Year's Eve is celebrated . We spend it with friends or family. Sometimes people make predictions about what the next year will look like. People organize a party and invite friends. They play with music and celebrate. The last seconds before a midnight are counted down together.
    By Daria

    Lent and Palm Sunday

    Lent starts with Ash Sunday. It lasts 40 days. People go to church quite often.
    A week before Easter, people in Poland celebrate Palm Sunday. They go to church with colorful palms. They take palms that are made of paper or artificial flowers, twigs, willows and ribbons. People take them to church to be blessed and go in procession around church with palms.
    By Daniel

    Easter in Poland: Easter Sunday and Easter Monday

    On Easter Sunday people usually go to church in the morning. After that they have Easter breakfast with "żurek" soup (made with fermented rye flour). They spend time with family and visit relatives.
    On Easter Monday people play with water. They drench each other with water: take a bottle or a bucket of water or a water gun and pour family and friends with water.
    By Maciej

    The Holy Week

    The Holy week starts on Palm Sunday. Then people go to church on Holy Thursday and commemorate the last supper. On the next day, the Good Friday, people commemorate the crucification of Jesus Christ and prepare the Easter basket. On Holy Saturday people take the Easter basket to be blessed. On the following day, Easter Sunday, people go to church, eat a special meal (with the so-called "żurek" soup) and meet family.
    On the last day of Easter holiday (on Easter Monday) people drench each other with water and have a great time!
    We spend holidays in a nice atmosphere. Everyone likes this holiday because you can get together, eat delitious cakes and pour water.
    By Edzik

    3 May - Constitution Day

    On 3 May people in Poland commemorate the anniversary of the Polish Constitution Day. People in Poland put up flags on their homes.
    There are assemblies at school to celebrate this holiday. Patriotic poems and recollections of historical events are also recited.
    In our school a polonaise is danced by all the students and teachers.
    By Ernest

    NEW YEAR AND CARNIVAL

    On 1 January we celebrate New Year. We don't go to work or school. We relax and meet friends.
    Carnival starts on 1 January and usually lasts until the end of February. Carnival customs include: going to fancy-dress parties and balls and other attractions. Strange customs include: disguising oneself as an egg (really!), making dolls, wandering around houses, dancing, songs.
    By Oliwia

    Indepedence Day

    November 11 was announced a national holiday in 1937. However, it was removed as an official holiday from 1939 to 1989. The holiday was restored in 1989 and has since been a national public holiday.
    Independence Day is an official public holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. To celebrate it schools organise solemn assemblies. Students dress up in elegant clothes. They prepare poems and songs with teachers, give performances about Polish history
    By Adam

    Christmas Eve

    We celebrate Christmas Eve on the 24th of December. Some
    people cook even 12 dishes. We eat dishes when the first star appears in the sky, but first we share the blessed wafer and wish each other all the best. After that, we have Christmas dinner. We usually eat fish dishes, beetroot soup with Polish dumplings ("uszka"), pierogi (another type of Polish dumplings) and some other delicious traditional food. Next, we give presents for our family. We put them under the Christmas Tree. Together we sing carols. At the Midnight we go to church to celebrate Christ's birth.
    By Klaudia J.

    Grandma Day and Grandpa Day

    We celebrate Grandmother's Day on January 21. Grandfather's Day is celebrated one day later - on January 22.
    Academic ceremonies are held in educational institutions - grandparents will be invited to a unique performance and refreshments.
    By Magda

    Epiphany Day

    The Epiphany, called otherwise the feast of Epiphany, is celebrated in the Catholic Church on January 6. Today its symbol is the Three Wise Men (Kacper, Melchior and Balthazar) who came to the place of Jesus' birth to worship him. On this day, we go to the church and the priest blesses gold, frankincense and chalk. Then, on the door we write the first letters of the names of each of the three wise men (K+M+B). In some cities, towns and villages people organize parades in honor of this holiday.
    By Klaudia W.

    Valentine's Day

    On 14 February we celebrete Valentine's Day. On this day we celebrate love. Lovers spend time together buying presents for themselves, for example flowers, chocolade, teddy bear, perfume, jewelry etc. They go on romantic dates to the cinema, restaurant ect.
    By Natalia.

    Advent and Santa Claus Day

    Advent is a period celebrated in Christian churches. It begins on the first Sunday of Advent four weeks before Christmas. Advent lasts until Christmas Eve, which is until December 24. In Advent people wait for the birth of Jesus Christ. Evangelical devotions are celebrated in evangelical churches. In our church there are dawn masses, called "roraty".They are masses in honor of the Virgin Mary to commemorate her accepting the news from Archangel Gabriel, who announced that she would become the Mother of the Son of God.

    Santa Claus Day is celebrated on December 6th. On this day adults and children get presents. At schools students get presents from Santa Claus, too. Everyone is happy and can be like little children.
    By Michał and Kamila

    WOMEN'S DAY AND MOTHER'S DAY

    These are special days. Boys give gifts to women and girls.
    This gifts usually include flowers and chocolate. In school students celebrate these days giving performances, sing songs and dance.
    the women's day is March 8 and the mother's day is May 28.
    Kamil Róg

    Children's Day

    On 1 June we celebrate Children's Day. On this day, children receive sweets, toys and other presents. Parents take children to amusement parks,cinema,restaurant Mc Donald's etc. Various games and activities are organized in schools. Some schools also organize trips.

    By Dominika

    CHRISTMAS DAYS

    Christmas is the most important family holiday in Poland. It begins on 24th December with Christmas eve and lasts three days, but preperations start much earlier. People buy presents, send Christmas cards to their relatives and friends, clean homes, cook Christmas dishes and finally – decorate Christmas trees.

    CHRISTMAS EVE

    24th December is called Christmas Eve and it is the most important day of Christmas. When the first star appears in the sky, the whole family gathers at the Christmas table. The supper is preceded by breaking and sharing of ''opłatek'' (wafer), which is the symbol of unity. According to tradition, there should be 12 dishes on the table. The most popular are carp, dumplings with sauerkraut and forest mushrooms, drink made of dried fruit, cheesecake and poppy seed cake. Polish people don't eat meat at Christmas Eve. It is also important to leave an additional plate for an unexpected guest. In more religious families people sing Christmas carols and go to the Christmas Vigil Mass. Last but not least, when the supper is finished, Christmas presents can be unwrapped.

    All Saints' Day

    All Saints' Day is mainly a Catholic holiday, celebrated on 1 November. On the other hand, nations with different cultural traditions, especially religious ones, honor the memory of the deceased in various ways.

    In Catholic countries, All Saints' Day is free from work. European Catholics visit their friends' graves on that day, lay wreaths and flowers on them, and light candles. All Saints' Day is for Catholics, above all, a day of reflection on the death and meaning of human life.