Changes in Polish traditions
- 1. About us We ar e Maj a and Ola. We ar e 14 year s old. We come f r om a small Polish t own Mielec. We ar e st udent s of a middle school. We ar e pleased t hat we can t ake par t in t he Comenius proj ect . We would like t o display t he pr esent at ion ent it led „Changes concerning holidays and f amily celebr at ions”. We invit e you t o wat ch t he pr esent at ion. We hope you will enj oy it . :)
- 2. Christ mas
- 3. Christmas is one of the most important holidays in Poland. It is celebrated by almost all the people as Poland is considered to be a Catholic country. Christmas has always been a special time for Polish families. Nevertheless, not all customs have survived up till now.
- 4. Our grandparent s used t o spend t his t ime in t he circle of relat ives- enj oying t radit ional meals, singing carols and t alking.Wit h t he t ime being, t here have been some changes in t he way Christ mas is celebrat ed. Our parent s enj oyed carols, f amily gat herings, but also Christ mas TV
- 5. There should be t welve t radit ional meals on t he t able in each Polish home on Christ mas Eve. One of t he most t radit ional Polish meal are dumplings (pierogi) which are eat en on Christ mas Eve. The one who f inds a coin hidden in t he dumpling is believed t o be lucky in t he f ollowing year.
- 6. Decorat ng a Christ mas t ree has been popular f or ages, alt hough decorat ions were dif f erent in t he past . Under t he Christ mas t ree Polish kids put a Christ mas shed
- 7. Nowadays real Christ mas t rees are of t en replaced by art if icial ones, also decorat ions are usually ready made, alt hough preparing decorat ions is st ill a great f un f or kids.
- 8. One of t he most unique t radit ions is walking t hrough villages in disguise- t here is a devil, an angel and of course a st ar carrier. They visit homes, sing carols and collect a symbolic amount of money f or t heir perf ormance. Unf ort unat ely, t his cust om is not as popular as it was a f ew decades ago.
- 9. One t radit ion unique t o Poland is t he sharing of t he „opłat ek”- a t hin waf er. I n t he old days people carried t hese waf ers f rom house t o house wishing neighbours Merry Christ mas. Nowadays opłat ek is most ly shared wit h members of t he f amily.
- 10. Cont emporary decorat ions dif f er f rom t he ones prepared by our grandparent s. Nowadays not only t rees are decorat ed, but also t he whole
- 11. One of t he t radit ions t hat has survived is preparing one addit ional set of cut lery and plat es f or t he unexpect ed guest on Christ mas Eve. Some people keep a Christ mas carp scale in t heir wallet s f or t he whole year. I t is believed t o bring happiness.
- 12. Valent ine' s Day
- 13. The Valent ine’s day is a comparably new holiday in Poland. Our grandparent s did not know anyt hing about it .
- 14. On Saint Valent ine’s Day people exchange gif t s, red roses, send Valent ine cards and t alk about love
- 15. East er
- 16. East er has always been celebrat ed really ceremonially. Almost all cust oms have survived since t he yout h of our grandparent s. The most import ant symbols of East er are East er eggs and a lamb.
- 17. The day expect ed wit h excit ement is East er Monday. On t hat day people have f un pouring wat er on each ot her (śmigus dyngus). Alt hough t his cust om is st ill common, our grandparent s used t o celebrat e it even more ceremonially. I t was an honour f or a girl t o be poured wit h wat er.
- 18. The cust oms t hat have survived: • t he blessing of t he East er basket s in churches on Holy Sat ur day • exchanging East er wishes, sending East er cards •pr epar ing t radit ional meals
- 20. Family celebrat ions which are considered t o be really import ant are weddings. This event has always been celebrat ed very ceremonially.Our grandparent s used t o f east even f or a f ew days. The wedding recept ions used t o t ake place in special t ent s, or j ust in f ront of t he house. Today t he guest s are invit ed t o t he rest aurant t o celebrat e t he wedding.
- 21. Our grandparent s were driven t o t he wedding ceremony in a car decorat ed wit h a doll put on a car bonnet .
- 22. The wedding ceremony is accompanied wit h t he orchest ra, people dance and f east unt il t he sunrise.
- 23. The climax of each wedding recept ion is a cust om called „oczepiny” at midnight . The bride t akes of f her veil, t he grooms does t he same wit h his t ie and t hey t hrow t hem behind. The girls st anding in t he circle t ry t o cat ch t he veil, t he boys’ t ask is t o cat ch t he t ie. The lucky couple t hat manage t o do it is said t o change t he marit al st at us soon.
- 24. The newlyweds are welcome wit h coins and rice j ust af t er t he church ceremony. Bef ore ent ering t he rest aurant t he bride and groom have t o t hrow glasses behind so t hat t hey break. I t is believed t o bring happiness.
- 25. Throughout t he decades also t he wedding f ashion has been changing. Our grandparent s ……… parent s ……and cont emporary couple
- 26. I t ’s our obligat ion t o celebrat e and remember about holidays and f amily celebrat ions as t hey are t he most valuable cult ural inherit ance f or f ut ure generat ions.
- 27. Thank you f or at t ent ion