A Polish-American's Traditional Christmas

In the early afternoon on Christmas Eve or "Wigilia" or even the night before Christmas Eve, we place the gifts under the tree hoping that nobody sees us so as to add a bit of drama when everyone finally sees the Christmas tree in all its glory. Presents in beautifully wrapped paper just bulging out and spilling onto the floor around the tree.

The early part of Christmas eve the whole family make preparations for the evening hours, the table is set with our finest table cloths and the best table setting we own is meticulously placed on set. Although there is usually only three of us we make sure to set the table for four people.

The reason for the extra place setting comes from an old Polish tradition where the extra setting is there for either an unexpected guest, for an unknown weary traveler, for the poor who have no family or home and for loved ones who are no longer with us. It is such a small gesture yet it is so very meaningful. Polish traditions have very deep meaning and are quite beautiful if you know what they mean and represent.

My mother spends the early part of the day preparing all the foods that we will have that evening, these consist of many varieties of fish and cold foods, generally trying to stay away from meat as we believe that nothing should die on Christmas Eve.

Yes, I can hear several people saying that the fish had to be killed for our dinner but the Polish tradition extends to mammals as only mammals were present when Christ was born.

The exception to the cold foods is a traditional broth or soup called Barszcz, better known in the United States as "Borscht".

This is a very simple "peasant" food made of beetroot and it also has symbolic meaning. It represents the poor people and the farmers and the like who are the salt of the earth. It represents simple and humble beginnings and is basically a celebration of those people, reminding us how lucky we are.

It's also a fantastic soup/broth and in my family is usually served with a few beetroot filled Pierogi.

Pierogi, for those who don't know, are boiled or baked dumplings of unleavened dough stuffed with varying ingredients. They are usually semicircular and very tasty.There are always potatoes and all sorts of salads served and as with everything else all these foods have meaning behind them.

As soon as evening falls an the first stars are visible in the sky dinner is served(if it's a cloudy evening then we approximate when dinner should be served) but we don't sit down and start eating just yet, there are still some traditions that must be observed and the main one is the sharing of the Christmas Wafer. The wafer is very similar to the type of wafer that is used for communion.

Everyone present breaks off a piece of the Christmas Wafer and shares their piece with each member of the family after first sharing their wishes that the person be happy and healthy and prosperous the other person then does likewise and each take a small piece of the wafer from the other and eat it. This continues until everyone person has had a chance to go through this well wishing with every other person present.

At this point, everyone takes their place at the dinner table and a toast is made, usually with Polish Vodka after which Barszcz is served as the first course and so on.

Personally my favorite part of Christmas Eve dinner is the salt cured herring in oil. The Herring is prepared by being placed in a jar with oil and raw onions as well as a few other spices. It may be an acquired taste in the United States but every Pole will immediately recognize this food.

After dinner, everyone retires to the living room for desert, coffee, tea and presents are exchanged. Often, some sort of Polish liqueur is also served and another toast or three are often made.

As midnight approaches we prepare to go to midnight Mass which always leaves me feeling that there is something very special going on. It is a feeling that is hard to describe but it is the one time of the year when humanity seems beautiful and serene. Whether you want to describe this as "The Christmas Spirit" or the "Holy Spirit" is up to you but it is undeniable that the feeling is very special and unique.

Christmas day is meant for visiting with friends and neighbors. The day starts out with Christmas Breakfast which consists of different varieties of cold cuts and meat returns to the menu.

Often friends arrive for dinner where lamb or turkey or any other type of high quality meat is served as the second course, the first course once again being Barszcz. Vodka also makes an appearance again and the mood is always jolly with many toasts being offered by family and friends.

I hope I didn't bore anyone with this rather long article but I wanted to give as much detail as possible about the traditions that my family and I observe.

May the upcoming holidays find you happy, healthy and surrounded by friends and family.
Merry Christmas to all.