What Do The Polish Eat On Christmas Eve?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Carp provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland; carp fillet, carp in aspic and gefilte fish. Universal Polish Christmas foods are

pierogi as well

as some herring dishes, and for dessert, makowiec or noodles with poppy seed. Often, there is a compote of dry fruits for a drink.

What are the 12 traditional Polish Christmas dishes?

  • Red Borscht.
  • Mushroom Soup.
  • Christmas Eve Carp.
  • Carp Jewish Style.
  • Pierogi.
  • Sauerkraut.
  • Cabbage rolls.
  • Kutia.

What is the Polish Christmas wafer called?


The oplatek

, embossed with a Christmas scene, is shared among family members before Christmas Eve dinner. Nothing says “I love you,” at least in my Polish-American family, quite like the sharing of a thin, flat, tasteless wafer called an oplatek at Christmas.

What is the Polish tradition for Christmas Eve?

In Poland, Christmas Eve is

a day first of fasting, then of feasting

. The Wigilia feast begins at the appearance of the first star. There is no red meat served but fish, usually carp. The supper, which includes many traditional dishes and desserts can sometimes last for over two hours.

What is Oplatek in Polish?


Christmas wafer

(Polish: opłatek, plural opłatki; Lithuanian: kalėdaitis, plural kalėdaičiai) is a Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia during Wigilia on December 24.

What is Santa called in Poland?

9. Polish:

Święty Mikołaj

(lit. Saint Nicholas)

Is Christmas still banned in Russia?

Following the revolution in 1917, Christmas was banned as a religious



in 1929 and Christmas Trees were banned until 1935 when they turned into ‘New Year' Trees! … But it's still a quieter and smaller holiday in Russia after the big New Year celebrations.

Why do polish not eat meat on Christmas Eve?

Traditionally it was day of fasting and abstinence (not eating anything) and

meat is not normally allowed to be eaten in any form

. Christmas Eve is known as Wigilia (pronounced vee-GHEE-lee-uh). … The meal is traditionally meat free, this is to remember the animals who took take of the baby Jesus in the manger.

What day is Polish Christmas?

Traditionally, the celebration of Christmas in Poland begins on the

evening of December 24th

. This day is called Wigilia. Wigilia (Polish pronunciation: [viˈɡilja]) is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland.

What is the main religion in Poland?

There is no official religion in Poland.

The Roman Catholic Church

is the biggest church in Poland. The overwhelming majority (around 87%) of the population are Roman-Catholic if the number of the baptised is taken as the criterion (33 million of baptised people in 2013).

Why do Polish people eat fish for Christmas?

As Poland is more than 80 per cent Catholic, the Wigilia meal is meat-free with a main course of fish, most famously carp, which is

meant to bring good fortune

. The Polish karp zatorski even has EU protected designation of origin status.

What is a traditional Polish Christmas dinner?

Also known as the Star Supper,

Wigilia

is the main focus of Polish Christmas celebrations. … Fish is served as the main course at this holiday dinner, with a variety of traditional Polish recipes—including much-loved pierogi dumplings—making up the other courses.

What are some Polish traditions?

  • The drowning of Marzanna.
  • Leaving an empty chair on Christmas eve.
  • Kanapki, the open sandwich.
  • Poprawiny, a second wedding party.
  • Śmigus Dyngus, Wet Monday.
  • Sto Lat, a birthday blessing.
  • Tłusty Czwartek, Fat Thursday.
  • Zaduszki, All Souls Day.

What do you mean by Polish?

(Entry 1 of 4) transitive verb. 1 :

to make smooth and glossy

usually by friction : burnish. 2 : to smooth, soften, or refine in manners or condition. 3 : to bring to a highly developed, finished, or refined state : perfect.

Does Poland believe in Santa?

In the old days, Santa Claus (imagined as a bishop) was especially popular in

Eastern Poland

, but today he's responsible for bringing presents to households all over the country – without a doubt popular culture has boosted the prominence of this familiar bearded old-timer, even if it has altered his image to resemble …

How do Polish say Merry Christmas?

1- Merry Christmas!


Wesołych Świąt!

Maria Kunar
Author
Maria Kunar
Maria is a cultural enthusiast and expert on holiday traditions. With a focus on the cultural significance of celebrations, Maria has written several blogs on the history of holidays and has been featured in various cultural publications. Maria's knowledge of traditions will help you appreciate the meaning behind celebrations.