Travel.LovePoland December 2020

December
December 6th
December 21st
24th December
25th December
26th December
St. Nicholas’ Day
(Mikołajki)
The name Mikołajki comes from
Mikołaj (Polish for Nicholas), meaning
little Nicholas. Children usually
receive little treats – candies or toys.
One of the traditions is to hide treats
in shoes. Children should clean them
the night before and the next
morning (on Mikołajki day) they
would find inside their shoe a small
Winter
The beginning of astronomical winter
and the shortest day of the year.
Christmas Eve (Wigilia)
Christmas Eve is not a public holiday
in Poland. However, most shops and
businesses are open no longer than 2
pm. Christmas Eve Dinner – kolacja
wigilijna – is the most important
Christmas celebration in Poland. The
Christmas Eve traditions include
waiting for a first star, the Christmas
wafer (opłatek), 12 meat-free
courses, an extra seat for an
unexpected guest, hay under the
tablecloth, a special midnight mass
(pasterka).
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is a national holiday in
Poland to celebrate the birth of
Jesus Christ. It is a festive event and
many people have the day off work
and school.
Banks, government offices and most
private businesses are closed.
Second Day of Christmas
Official public holiday to celebrate
the second Day of Christmas. Also
known as St Stephen’s Day or
Holy Szczepan, part of the
Christmas holidays. Churches host
special services on Boxing Day,
which is also a day for families to
meet up and spend time together.
Day activities include reenacting
scenes of the Nativity in a play, as
well as caroling with a crib
(szopka) or star to homes.
January
surprise.winter timeline
December 31st-January 1st
New Year’s Eve / Saint
Sylvester's Day (Sylwester)
New Year’s Day
(Nowy Rok)
Start of the carnival season in
Poland. People usually go out to
parties and balls. At midnight or
even before, fireworks shows
start, arranged by the city
authorities but also outside of
apartments, in parks,
playgrounds, etc. Stores are
usually open no longer than
5-6pm.
February
January 1st
New Year’s Day
(Nowy Rok)
A public holiday in Poland –
stores, malls, shopping centres
are closed, only some smaller local
convenience stores can be open
(eg. Żabka). You can do basic
shopping at gas stations.
January 6th
Epiphany / The Three Wise
Kings (Trzech Króli)
A public holiday in Poland, stores are
closed. Christian holiday
commemorating the three wise kings’
visit to infant Jesus. In towns and
cities, there are street parades.
There is a tradition to write with
chalk brought from the church above
the entrance of your home: K+M+B
(or C+M+B). The letters have two
meanings: they represent the initials
of Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar; it’s
also the abbreviation of the Latin
phrase Christus mansionem benedicat
(May Christ bless this house).
January 21 & January 22
Grandmother’s Day &
Grandfather’s Day (Dzień
Babci & Dzień Dziadka)
People visit or call their grandparents
to honor them. In kindergartens,
there are usually events for
grandparents.
February 11th
February 14th
February 16th
February 17th
Fat Thursday
(Tłusty Czwartek)
The last Thursday before the Lent
starts in Poland it’s a donut / pączek
day. In the morning, you can notice
long lines in front of bakeries and
cafes all over Poland. People all day
long eat pączki (donuts ) or faworki
(French dough pastry served with
powdered sugar) at schools, at work,
at home. There are contests for the
best pastry stores in the city and
some families have pączek eating
competition – who will eat the most
donuts on Fat Thursday.
Valentine’s Day
(Walentynki)
It’s a relatively new celebration in
Poland (not observed in Poland
during communism time before
1989), becoming more and more
popular. All restaurants are usually
full, you need to book your table in
advance;)
Last day of the carnival,
Śledzik (herring night),
Ostatki (last days of
carnival, Shrovetide
Tuesday)
The last chance to party (typically
with drinking and music) before the
start of Lent (which doesn’t mean
there are no parties during Lent in
Poland, just not as many). The party /
dinner is called in Polish Śledzik (little
herring) – during old-fashioned Polish
parties, it was a popular appetizer
washed down with alcohol.
Ash Wednesday (Środa
Popielcowa, Popielec)
The first day of Lent. People go to
churches where priests put ashes
(made from palm branches blessed
on the previous year Palm Sunday) on
people’s foreheads saying ‘Remember
that you are dust and to dust you
shall return’ (‘Z prochu powstałeś i w
proch się obrócisz’). It is a tradition
among the Roman Catholics in Poland
to avoid meat, alcohol, sweets, and
snacks on that day.
07 TRAVEL.LOVEPOLAND