Wigilia

Wigilia(Polish pronunciation:[vʲiˈɡʲilja]) is the traditionalChristmas Evevigil supper inPoland, held on December 24. The term is often applied to the whole of Christmas Eve, extending further toPasterka—midnight Mass, held in Roman Catholic churches all overPolandand in Polish communities worldwide at or before midnight. The custom is sometimes referred to as "wieczerza" or "wieczerza wigilijna", inOld Polishmeaning evening repast, linked to the late church service,Vespersfrom theLatin.
The wordWigiliaderives from the Latinvigil. The associated feasting follows a day of abstinence and traditionally begins oncethe First Starhas been sighted.Christmasis also sometimes called "Gwiazdka", "little star".
Children usually decorate theChristmas tree. Sometimes a handful ofhayis placed under the tablecloth of the dining table to symboliseJesus's birth in amanger.
Another tradition is to make an extra place-setting for the "unexpected guest", to celebrate hospitality. The feast begins withsaying grace, breaking theopłatekChristmas wafer to symbolize the gift of daily bread, and wishing each other blessings for the coming year. In the country, it was customary to share a special (pink) wafer with livestock and dogs and cats as the animals of the household were to be treated with special reverence on that day, in honour of the animals in the Bethlehem stable. There was a belief that at midnight they were granted the power of human speech.
A Christmas Eve dinner excludes meat, asabstinenceis required, and should comprise twelve distinct dishes in memory of the twelve Apostles. It begins with a soup, eitherborschtwithuszka(tortellini), or wild mushroomconsommé(grzybowa), followed by herring in different forms. Fish provides the main dish of the Christmas Eve feast across Poland. There are variations ofcarpfillet, carp inaspic,gefilte fish(Jewish-style carp), sweet with onions, carrots, almonds and raisins or fish in the Greek Style. Accompaniments consist of cabbage, cooked red orsauerkrautwith apple salad. The bread served at the meal is oftenchallah, doubtless borrowed from Poland's centuries-long Jewish fellow countrymen. Polish kutia wigilijna, consisting of barley, poppy seeds, honey, and sweetmeats (łakocie) like figs, raisins, and nuts. Then there is an array of desserts, including dried fruitcompote, followed by cake:poppy seedcakes,babka,makowiec, and other sweets including edible Christmas ornaments. Regional variants includeżureksour rye soup,siemieniotka(in Silesia),pierogifilled with cheese and potatoes as well mushrooms and cabbage, stuffed cabbage with mushrooms and rice,gołąbki(cabbage rolls), łazanki,kluskiwithpoppyseed, andmakówki(in Silesia). There is in places a belief that whatever happens on Wigilia affects the incoming year; if a quarrel should arise, it foretells a quarrelsome and troublesome year.
Some families as well as individual worshippers attend the traditional midnight mass/Shepherd's Mass (pasterka), whereChristmas carolsare also sung.
A major part of the Wigilia festivities is the opening of gifts. After everyone has finished supper the children often open their gifts and hand out the gifts for the adults from under the tree. The gift-givers in Polish tradition are "Święty Mikołaj" (Saint Nicolas), "Aniołek", an angel, "Gwiazdka", a star, "Dzieciątko" (Christkind) in Silesia, Saint Nicholas' feminine counterpart – or the Gwiazdor (masculine), which is either a pagan tradition or represents the little Star of Bethlehem.Saint Nicholastraditionally used to bring gifts on December 6. This varies and in some families Saint Nicholas brings presents both on the 6th and at Christmas.
Christmas Day is a national holiday in Poland and most Poles spend the day with their family. After Wigilia there are two more days of celebrations. Christmas breakfast often consists of baked meats,bigos, cold cuts, smoked or fried salmon, marinated salads, and cakes, especially,pierniki Toruńskie(agingerbread), cake, and decorated biscuits.