Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and may the perpetual light shine upon them.
May their soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Wieczne odpoczynek racz im dać Panie, a światłość wiekuista niechaj im świeci.
Niech odpoczywają w pokoju, Amen.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country’s highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97, officials said.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre in Katyn forest of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

The crash devastated the upper echelons of Poland’s political and military establishments. On board were the army chief of staff, the navy chief commander, and heads of the air and land forces. Also killed were the national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, Olympic Committee head, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said.

Some of the people on board were relatives of those slain in the Katyn massacre. Also among the victims was Anna Walentynowicz, whose firing in August 1980 from the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk sparked a workers’ strike that spurred the eventual creation of the Solidarity freedom movement. She went on to be a prominent member.

“This is a great tragedy, a great shock to us all,” former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said.

The deaths were not expected to directly affect the functioning of Polish government: Poland’s president is commander in chief of its armed forces but the position’s domestic duties are chiefly symbolic. Most top government ministers were not aboard the plane.

In Warsaw, Tusk also called an extraordinary meeting of his Cabinet and the national flag was lowered to half-staff at the presidential palace, where several thousand people gathered to lay flowers and light candles. Black ribbons appeared in some windows in the capital.

Kaczynski, 60, was the twin brother of Poland’s opposition leader, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Kaczynski’s wife, Maria, was an economist. They had a daughter, Marta, and two granddaughters.

Lech Kaczynski became president in December 2005 after defeating Tusk in that year’s presidential vote.

The nationalist conservative had said he would seek a second term in presidential elections this fall. He was expected to face an uphill struggle against Parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of Tusk’s governing Civic Platform party.

The constitution says the parliament speaker announce early elections within 14 days of the president’s death. The vote must be held within another 60 days.

Poland, a nation of 38 million people, is by far the largest of the 10 formerly communist countries that have joined the European Union in recent years.

Last year, Poland was the only EU nation to avoid recession and posted economic growth of 1.7 percent.

It has become a firm U.S. ally in the region since the fall of communism — a stance that crosses party lines.

One week before Palm Sunday, housewives stopped baking bread through the fear that the bread they baked throughout the rest of the year would spoil. Not until the Holy Week did they start baking. In some parts they began to do so on Good Friday, in others- it was not permitted to bake anything at all that day. If any housewife violated this ban, the entire village would be in danger of a long drought, which could be repelled only by throwing the pots and guilty housewife into a pond.

The celebration of Easter is preceded by Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday. Palm branches and twigs are indispensable accessories of the events of this day. They commemorate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. After the festivities, palm leaves were used for magic rites, such as conjuring up storms and consecrating women at childbirth and sick domestic animals. The original palm branch is replaced by a willow or raspberry branch, and is decorated with ribbons, flowers, and leaves. It is believed that swallowing a willow catkin from a branch consecrated by a priest would bring health, and palm branch placed behind a holy image until the following year would bring the inhabitants luck.

The church bells that had resounded from Palm Sunday onwards fell silent on Holy Thursday. Rattles and clappers took their place. Fires were lit at crossroads so that wayfarers and poor people could warm themselves. Meals were also placed at these spots so that these people could nourish themselves – and together with them the good spirits of the house. On the morning of Holy Thursday, the vestments are changed on the miraculous icon in the chapel of the Pauline monastery at Jasna Gora in Czestochowa. This is one of the most important sites of the religious cult of the Poles, and has been venerated as a national shrine since 14th century.

The next, Good Friday, marks the start of the vigil at symbolic tombs of Christ, which lasts until Holy Saturday. Visits are made to “tombs of Christ’. The adoration of the Good Friday tombs is called “the visitation of the tombs’. No animals could be slaughtered or bread baked, and mirrors covered over. The use of combs was not allowed, so Good Friday was a day of mourning. A special kind of bread was prepared for Easter Sunday, called “paska”. It was made of flour and yeast. The surface was spread with fat and decorated with a cross-made of dough. Apart from cross of dough, it was decorated with flowers and birds. The tradition of preparing “paska” involved women. The master of the house was not permitted to take part of preparing the “paska”, otherwise his moustache would go grey and the dough would fail. On that day a “funeral of zur and herring” was organized. A clay pot with zur was shattered and a herring was hung on a branch as punishment “that for six weeks it had ruled over meat”.

On the next day, Holy Saturday, services accompanied by processions are held to commemorate the Resurrection. Inside the churches, priests sprinkled holy water on small baskets brought by believers and filled with “paska”, cakes, eggs, horseradish, sausages, ham, salt, pepper, and tiny sugar lambs. The consecration of eggs refers to egg being an ancient symbol of life. The consecration of horseradish refers to the bitterness of the passion of Jesus which, on the day of resurrection, changed into joy and sweetness. The custom of coloring eggs for Easter is still observed. Eggs which are painted in one color are called “malowanki” or “kraszanki”. If patterns are etched with a pointed instrument on top of the paint, the eggs are then called “skrobanki” or “rysowanki”. Those eggs decorated with the use of treated wax are called “pisanki”. Another technique involved gluing colored paper or shiny fabric on them.

In old Poland, this resurrection service was an opportunity to identify witches, for witches were believed to enjoy eating sausage during sermons, still during Flaxt. It was also believed that a priest could see which of the women attending mass was a witch, but was not allowed to reveal his information. It was also believed that during Easter procession, a female collaborator of Satan was unable to go around the church three times, and had to leave the procession after the second circuit. After resurrection, gunshots were fired as an expression of joy.

On Sunday morning, beautifully laid table is covered with colored eggs, cold meats, coils of sausages, ham, yeast cakes, pound cakes, poppy-seed cakes, and in the middle of it all, a lamb made of sugar, commemorating the resurrected Christ. No smoke was permitted; therefore no warm meals were served. Horseradish was mixed with beets, “cwikla”, traditionally present on polish Easter tables. Sharing a boiled egg with one’s relatives is a national tradition. A piece of egg with salt and pepper, consecrated by priest, is an inseparable accessory in the good wishes we extend to each other at Easter. Each member of the household received also a piece of the consecrated bread. When spread with horseradish, it was supposed to give protection against throat diseases and against illnesses and complaints.
Cakes were very important ingredients of Easter breakfast: gigantic cakes called “baby” as well as “mazurki” were prepared only for those occasion. The “baby” were either plain vanilla, steamed, saffron-flavored, grated with egg yolk, almond flavored, layered, chocolate-flavored, fluffy, lemon-flavored, bread-like, or many other different kinds. “Mazurek” is a flat cake, usually on a pastry or a wafer, covered with paste of nuts, almonds, cheese etc., colorfully iced and decorated with jam and nuts and raisins. On top of this, imaginative decorations were placed, such as eggs of icing; willow branches made of marzipan, chocolate flowers, and other delicacies. Artistic letters made of cream read “Hallelujah” – joy of the Resurrection. The list of possibilities making “mazurek” cake are endless, ranging from almond flavored, marzipan, chocolate, raisins, nuts and figs, poppy-seed, orange, crumbly with wine or vodka, apple, French-style, layered, and many others.

On Easter Monday there is a very ancient Easter tradition called “Smingus-Dyngus” – custom of pouring water on one another. One week later, an interesting event takes place in Krakow. The hero of the festivity is “lajkonik” or a man disguised as Tatar, riding a peculiar kind of hobby horse. The custom dates back to the 17th century. The legend says of an unexpected Tatar foray on the Krakow province in the 13th century. A brave young raftsman, having gathered a group of companions, defeated the invaders and returned to town wearing the colorful outfit of a Tatar khan. During the Tatar attack, the legend then follows, a Tatar arrow struck in the throat a Krakow trumpeter, who from the spire of the church of the Holy Virgin tried to alarm citizens of the danger. Since that time, Krakow bugle-call, sounded every hour from the tower of the church, breaks abruptly.

Women’s Day in Poland

Valentine’s Day (Walentynki) has been observed in Poland since the collapse of the Eastern European Bloc and the opening of Poland’s borders. Poles were quick to adopt Valentine’s Day and nowadays it’s as popular in Poland as anywhere else. But a holdover from Soviet Union rule — Dzień Kobiet or Women’s Day – also is celebrated on March 8.

The holiday was created in 1948, in part, to replace the Roman Catholic feast day of Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek, a 12th-century monk, but also to glorify the ideals of women as hard-working contributors to the economy – sort of a women’s equality day. Although initially this feast was enforced by the government, it became accepted and part of Polish culture. And, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is still celebrated.

While Valentine’s Day is more privately celebrated between lovers in Poland, Women’s Day is celebrated more as a national holiday for all women, regardless of age. They receive special attention, usually flowers, sweets and small gifts, not only privately, but at work and schools. The Western trend of giving greeting cards is creeping into this holiday.

Women’s Day is now an official holiday in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and other Eastern European countries.

A celebration different from those in other countries, with its most important symbols: opłatek, fir tree, first star, 12 dishes menu. That will be probably an important day also for you if you meet a woman from Poland and you decide together to create a stable union. Because undoubtedly your future partner will want to keep her/his traditions, which is so important for the Polish women and the Polish men, as certainly she/he will be happy if you pay attention to the Polish habits. Christmas is a very important moment for the Poles. It is often called the family day. Preceded by several weeks of waiting, it is celebrated liberally and according to the old tradition of the country. It is a spiritual and mythical celebration, and it always remains it, which is rather rare in our world of today, directed rather towards pure consumption.

Although Christmas is a religious festival, it is also a symbol. A symbol of new life – news year, a symbol of peace, conciliation, an exceptional time when all is possible and when even the enemies have the chance to be put into agreement. It is above all a whole symbol of the united family and diving in love and happiness. It is the time, which gives the direction of safety, heat, mutual comprehension. It has its own environments, its own flavors, single and remain deeply in the hearts of people.

Obviously, the habits vary a little in the different areas. I here will tell in short the traditions of my area.

The preparations with Christmas begin already a few weeks before, by the Advent. It is the time of the waiting. It is rather rare to see people organizing something during this time, it is rather the time of silence during which people seek their serenity. It is not rare, even now, to see people who make sacrifices, such as for example: not to eat candies or to void drinking alcohol. One of the traditions, as in other countries, it is to make cribs (the most famous Polish cribs are those called “Cracovian” or of Cracow).

The children often prepare their own decorations for the fir tree and the table. Christmas, is Boże Narodzenie (birth of the god) in Polish, is also called in the Polish language “Gwiazdka,” which wants to say in English “a small star” in the exact translation of Polish.

Christmas in Poland lasts 2 days: 25th and 26th December, but the most important day is the day before Christmas, on December 24. It is Wigilia in the Polish language is the equivalent of French Midnight supper. It is the day which, according to habits’, decides chance and success for the New Year. It is then very important to live this day in peace, good mood and good health, full of energy, because that says that all the year will be good.

Everyone rises early (not to be lazy all year!) and the last preparations start. At last, they prepare the house (the cleaning up).

When almost all work is made, the Christmas tree is decorated. In certain families, it is done some time in advance. Some use the decorations bought in shops or home made. Some put also candies, cakes, which could be then eaten. The fir tree, according to the tradition, must remain until January 6.
Obviously, under the fir tree, the gifts are or will be put, by Santa Claus who is generally called in Poland Święty Mikołaj, that is to say in exact translation in English Saint Nicolas. (Interesting: the festival of Saint Nicolas, on December 6, is also celebrated in Poland as the day during which gifts are offered to children in priority!)

Once the entire menu is ready to be served, the table is set. First of all, one puts hay (or straw) on the table – that points out to us the origins of Jesus, born in a cattle shed. That must also enable us to have a good luck (for which nothing misses) all the year. Then, the table with a tablecloth, generally white is covered. It is obligatory to leave one free plate, for a visitor not awaited who could come, as in memory with those of the members of the family who cannot be any more with us. The menu generally contains 12 different dishes and does not contain meat because it is the day of deficiency – and the food of all this day must be simple, without meat and without alcohol.

In the same way, the menu of Christmas is also simple: especially the fish with carp in several different dishes, mushrooms, vegetable and fruit. But in spite of the simplicity of the products, the receipts are often complicated and often require several hours of preparation, in which all family takes part in the tasks – each one wishes to be being useful and the preparations are most make an exceptional environment for the midnight supper.

The menu is often a little different in each area and varies according to families, but much of dishes resemble. And often as the principal rule which is complied with in many families: no alcohol this day. Thus soups: barszcz, zurek or the soup with fish, the sauerkraut cooked with dry peas or dry mushrooms, pierogi – uszka (exact translation in English: small ears) is the ravioli with mushrooms, the ravioli with sauerkraut, the small raviolis, carp (in different ways of preparation), the herring in vinegar or in different salads, the salads with the dry fruits, the kutia (the mixture of poppy, nut, honey, corn, grapes) useful with small simple cakes, the poppy, the eternal potatoes, different cakes – of which that with the poppy (which must also bring back happiness all the year), as well as the gingerbread or small honey and gingerbreads, symbolizing the wealth of family all the year, the cakes with the grapes, nuts and with the dry fruits, hazel nuts symbolizing the success, the fruits varied, of which apples symbolizing the beauty and a good health.
And the most important “dish” on the table it is the oplatek (unleavened bread, as for the communion), because it is the symbol of division and conciliation. Resulting from the especially religious tradition (prepared in several formats and dimensions, it presents scenes in connection with the birth of the Jesus child), it is today a symbol of peace and love and that for all people, without taking into account their religion. Even the politics meet before Christmas with “oplatek” to divide it between them and symbolically with all the Polish people. These meetings of the “oplatek” are also organized in certain companies, schools, clubs, etc. So, people who work together or who meet for different activities, express their friendship and the respect the ones for the others.

It is a so important tradition, which those which cannot pass from Midnight supper together (of which often the family living abroad), exchange the opłatek by sending it by the post office accompanied by a postcard with the wishes – a very popular habit in Poland: to send a postcard or more often of the wishes only simply is very current for Polish, even with those which one does not know personally, but to which one is addressed in this moment, even if it just acts of request for some information (as example: I receive every year of many of postcards of my Polish members). Every year, in period of Christmas, of the thousands (see million!) postcards circulate between Poland and all the countries of the world, where my Polish compatriots are at the time given.

But let us return to our table. The opłatek is thus put on an often decorated plate (and if possible, more beautiful than the other plates) and occupies the centre of the table – the most important place.

Because Christmas is a family celebration above all, it passed in the family circle first of all. The nearest family thus meets on December 24 in the evening, the fir tree (with the gifts below) decorated and the covered table, they wait until the first star appears on the sky. It is the sign which the festival can begin and people can sit at the table. But before it is made it, one divides the oplatek (the oldest of the family starts) and people exchange wishes to each other. The most important is that the next celebration is celebrated with all the family and that its members are numerous at least as much (or even more). It is the mythical moment, where one forgives oneself all the bad moments and one promises to start again a new life.

Interesting: in old time, people shared also their opłatek with their animals. This tradition is always present in certain areas and certain families. And one said (and always says), that this exceptional night, even the animals speak the human language. Then, people sit at the table (the old tradition said to sit according to the age) and the dinner starts. It is important at least to try all the dishes not to know the hunger the next year and to have a good luck. It is also preferable not to rise and not to leave the table before the end of the dinner. This is why all the dishes are put on the table at the beginning to eat it so that everyone tries it and nobody gets up to serve the dishes one after the other.

Once the dinner finished, one distributes presents and one continues the evening by singing Christmas songs (called in Polish “kolędy” – which will be still present in the everyday life during a few weeks). The evening generally finishes around midnight and those who which wish it can go to the midnight mass (pasterka), which in Poland is always at midnight. It is preferable not to clear the table, but to leave it until the following day (for nothing to miss the next year).

The 25th and 26th December, the Poles go to visit each other, always in family. And these 2 days generally pass. At the table, because the meat and all the others food from now on are allowed and it only remains to consume all food so preciously prepared.

Merry Christmas!

The February 2nd is a day when the Christmas season in Poland ends.

It is a Polish custom from antiquity that a special votive Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated in the parish Church once a week (usually on a Wednesday). It is called “Rorate” Mass, from the first words of the Latin Introit “rorate caeli”. This unique Polish custom, first celebrated at the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow in 1545 dictates that seven candles are lighted and placed on the St. Mary’s Altar. The seventh candle is much taller than the rest and is decorated with a green branch tied with a white ribbon. This symbolizes the Old Testament prophecy fulfilled; the Messiah stemming from the “Root of Jesse”.

It is also customary, in some parishes, to prepare an Advent Wreath consisting of four candles in a circular wreath with a larger candle (the Christ candle) in the center. The Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of the four thousand years of expectation for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, born on Christmas Day.

The Church has her own special liturgical year and calendar in which she presents again the history and unchanging mysteries of our salvation, from Creation to the Second Coming, together with the entire life of the Savior. Advent is an especially lovely season and we can make great use of it. With the beginning of the season of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. The First Sunday of Advent is therefore the Church’s “New Year’s Day”.
Advent comes from the Latin word for an “arrival” or a “coming”. Advent means that the Lord is coming. Jesus Christ, our brother in our humanity and our God in His divinity is about to arrive. First, Jesus came to us at a specific point in history at Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. But in the Church’s great feast of Christmas He mystically comes again. Second, the Lord, Alpha and Omega, will come to judge the living and the dead in the Second Coming. We must be ready to receive and welcome Him when He comes, however He comes.

ADVENT IN POLAND

In Poland, Advent is an important season in which special church services known as “Roraty” are held every morning at 6 AM. The four Sundays of the holy month of Advent symbolize 4,000 years of waiting for Christ.

On St. Andrew’s Eve (November 30), Poles hold fortune-telling. At midnight, people pour hot wax into a pot of cool water, and as the wax starts to cool, shadows are cast on the wall. The shadows are said to tell the people to expect in the New Year. Their dreams that night are supposed to predict the future as well.

Traditionally on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, St. Nicholas usually dressed as a bishop, comes in his sleigh with gifts for the children. Today St. Nicholas comes dressed more like the American Santa Claus, and not always in a sleigh. Polish Children will also get Advent calendars. Each day the boys, and girls would open a door of the calendar. Behind the doors are pieces of candy, or a picture.