February in Poland

luty = February The month is generally very cold, like, it is in Michigan. Sunset on Feb. 1 in Poland: 4:21 p.m. Sunset on Feb. 1 in Michigan, U.S.: 5:55 p.m. Sunset on Feb. 28 in Poland: 5:14 p.m. Sunset on Feb. 28 in Michigan, U.S: 6:31 p.m. There are no legal holidays in Poland in February. February 11 is Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent starts. We definitely like our pączki in Grand Rapids on this day! February 14 is Valentine’s Day which wasn’t observed before 1989 but is becoming more popular February 17 is Ash Wednesday. Due to the coronavirus, the distribution is different this year. The priest will not make a cross on a person’s forehead but instead will sprinkle ashes on them.

Today is Dzień Babci in Poland -- Grandmother’s Day. Babcia is the Polish word for Grandma. In the US there are variants such as “busia.” Here is my Grandma Apolonia (Skrobot) Raczkiewicz in the late 1970’s.

Orthodox New Year

Old New Year is celebrated today, January 14, according to the Julian calendar. “Our” New Year was on January 1 because we use the Gregorian calendar. On New Year's day children visited every house with wishes for a "Happy and Prosperous New Year." https://www.timebulletin.com/orthodox-new-year-2020-celebrates-on-january-14-as-old-new-year/

January 6 is Epiphany Day

The Kaszucki family from Uhniv (now in the Ukraine) may have followed some of these holiday traditions: On Epiphany Day a "blessing of water" would occur on the lake There would be a large cross of ice decorated with pine branches. The church choir would sing Christmas carols. The priest went to every house to bless it with holy water. The houses would have decorations in the window of a cross made of straw. Poland also celebrates Epiphany/The Three Wise Kings where it is a public holiday. One tradition is to write “K + M + B” (or” C + M + B”) over the door to the house in chalk. These letters are the initials of the three wise kings. Their names were Caspar/Kaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. This also represents the blessing “May Christ bless this house.” Picture credit: By RIA Novosti archive, image #51463 / Yuriy Kaver / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18132407

January In Poland

January is the coldest and snowiest month. Sunset on January 1 is at 3:30 p.m. New Year’s Day is a public holiday in Poland. Epiphany/The Three Wise Kings on January 6 is also a public holiday. A tradition of that day is to write K + M + B (or C + M + B) over the door to the house. The letters represent the names of Caspar/Kaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar and also the blessing “May Christ bless this house.” January 21 and January 22 are Grandmother’s and Grandfather’s day. Check out this link for winter lights in Poznan. This is the city that Tomasz Raczkiewicz lives in. http://kidsinthecity.pl/whats-on-in-poland-in-january/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/226317417426356/permalink/3755400781184651

Wigilia (Polish pronunciation: [viˈɡilʲa])

Wigilia happens on Christmas Eve in Poland. It comes from the Latin word “vigil” and is a feast after abstinence. The feast begins once the First Star is seen in the sky. The Christmas tree is decorated. The table is set with a place setting for a stranger which is a symbol of hospitality. The “Christmas wafer” opłatek is shared and is a symbol of daily bread. When it is shared, blessings for health, and happiness to each other are shared. Twelve separate dishes are served to represent the 12 Apostles. Soup was served first such as Borscht, mushroom, sour rye, which I have never had. Pickled herring would be next. I know my Dad would sometimes eat herring but I don’t think the rest of us were interested. The main course would be fish. Fish is served instead of red meat because abstinence from meat is required. Some of the other foods possibly served are familiar foods from my Grandparent’s house: gołąbki (cabbage rolls), kluski, pierogi (filled with cheese and potatoes), Challah bread and sauerkraut. Others I have never had such as herring, carp, cabbage-apple salad, and dried fruit compote, I remember bread or cakes with poppy seeds but I am not sure if they were made or bought from American Bakery. Some examples are babka and makowiec. While we did not celebrate this way as I was growing up, my Mom (Shirley Longwell) remembers going as a young girl with her parents to some one’s house on Lexington St. and that there were many dishes served.) Did your family celebrate in this way?

The Day of St. Nicholas--December 6

The Santa Claus we are familiar with in the U.S. is based on Saint Nicholas. December 6 is the feast of St. Nicholas and begins the holiday season in Poland. He saved three children who had been kidnapped by a butcher. Saint NIcholas Day is not recognized in the US. Apparently, in Poland children who behave receive a gift under their pillow or in their shoe. The gift giving associated with the U.S. Santa is more in line with the German Father Christmas or the Dutch Sinterklaas then with St. NIcholas.

December in Poland

I remember my Mother ordering Christmas wafers (oplatek) from St. Adalbert Church near Christmas time! Oplatek, a thin wafer with a religious scene pressed into it, is shared at Wigilia. Wigilia occurs Christmas Eve at the appearance of the first star--commemorating the star of Bethlehem. Midnight mass on Christmas Eve also is a tradition. This tradition celebrated in Grand Rapids, Michigan, obviously had a Polish origin. Many traditions we celebrate in December are also celebrated in Poland. For instance,gingerbread is baked and decorations are made. Trees are trimmed with glass blown ornaments made in Poland. Outdoor nativity scenes are assembled. Carol singing and sleigh rides occur. Advent is a prayerful time of waiting for the Nativity of Jesus. November 6 is Saint Nicholas Day with a gift under the pillow. Typical temperature in Tomaszow is a high of 35 degrees and a low of 28. Grand Rapids, Michigan has a similar high temperature and an average low of 23.

St. Andrew’s Day Eve (Andrzejki) November 29

Calling all the Single Ladies! You might want to learn about St. Andrew’s Day Eve. Here is your opportunity to see into the future and experience some magic. While trying to determine when you might marry and what the future groom will look like was traditionally done in private as a tradition dating back to 1557, apparently it is now a time of fun parties. Lighting 13 candles allows the spirits to enter the room that will help tell the marital future. One game involves pouring hot wax into cold water through the hole in a skeleton key. After it solidifies, the shape and its shadow will foretell your future. The shoe game is also another interesting sounding game. One shoe of each woman is lined up at the door. The first one to get to the door is the first to be married. (Be careful to not get trampled!) It sounds like in the present, it is just a fun chance to party and celebrate.

Julian & Gregorian Calendars

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my grandfather’s parents’ wedding. The translated record starts out, “ It happened in town Tomaszów(Tomaszów Lubelski) on day November 3/15.1885.” You will notice that there are two dates listed-- one in the Julian calendar and the other in the Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar was used by the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church. All birth, marriages and deaths were registered by the churches. During the time period of 1868 to 1917 because Russians had control of the area in which my ancestors lived, the priests were required to write the records in Russian. During the time that Poland was occupied by Russia, the use of Polish in the schools and in civil records was prohibited. Poland (and the rest of Europe) had previously been using the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar in use worldwide today. After 1917 the records were written in Polish and the use of the Gregorian calendar was resumed. So when there are two dates listed, the second one is the one that would fit our calendar currently.

November 1

All Saints Day (November 1) is a public holiday in Poland but it lands on Sunday this year. A few days before, people will clean up the gravesite. Flowers and candles are laid on the graves of family and strangers. Often family members will have a meal together after going to the cemetery. This year because of the pandemic, the cemeteries are closed this weekend and people are encouraged to visit at other times.

The Time Changed Today in Poland

The time changed last night in Poland, from October 24 to 25. Clocks are turned backwards one hour so it will get dark one hour earlier in the evening. Poland has been using daylight savings time since 1977. The European Union ended the custom of the twice yearly clock changing but individual countries are free to decide. Sunday, November 1 will be the day our time has changed in the United States. Poland is in the Central European time zone. So right now here is the time: Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, US 8:00 AM Tomaszow, Lubelskie, Poland 1:00 PM