Christmas traditions in Poland are full of magic and meaning. The customs, which have been passed down through the centuries, are deeply rooted in religion, family and nature.

People prepare for this big holiday during the four weeks of Advent. In Poland this is a time of fasting and prayer, of spiritual preparation for Christmas.

The name, from the Latin word adventus, means “coming”. In the church it is a four week time of awaiting and preparation for the Nativity of Jesus. Advent closes the liturgical year in the Church and opens a new one.

These days Advent starts after November 30^th, around  St. Andrew’s Eve, on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It lasts till December 24^th. This is a crucial period in Polish annual tradition of Church and folk rituals.

In Podlasie region the beginning of Advent was once announced by the loud sound of long wooden trumpets called ligawy. Ceremony was called trumpeting for Advent or announcing Advent. To intensify the effect a trumpeter stood over a well, so that the echo amplified the played tune which signaled that from now on all music instruments should disappear along with any kind of parties. Weddings or other ceremonies connected with banqueting, singing and dancing were not allowed. The time of reflection, solemnity, and religious practice started.

The common Advent custom in Poland, still practiced today, is every day participation in the early morning mass for the Holy Virgin Mary, known as roraty (from the first word of a song imploring for the coming of the Savior of the world: rorate coeli desuper – let the heaven send down dew to us). During the mass a huge roratnica candle is burning, as a symbol of Our Lady, while the faithful come to the service with their own burning candles or lanterns.

In villages of the past, long autumn evenings of Advent were the time of female neighbors’ meetings doing some work together. They were spinning linen and wool with spindles or spinning wheels, sorting beans and peas and other similar work. At the same time they were chatting about current news and telling stories.

 St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6th – Dzień Świętego Mikołaja – starts off the Christmas holidays in Poland. St. Nicholas was the 4th-century Bishop of Myra in Lycia, what is now a province of Turkey. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, and is associated by some countries with Santa Claus.

Traditionally on December 6th, St. Nicholas day, St. Nicholas usually dressed as a bishop, comes in his sleigh with gifts for the children. Good children would get gifts. As for the bad children, they would get coal. Today St. Nicholas comes dressed more like the American Santa Claus, and not always in a sleigh. Polish children will also get Advent calendars. Each day the boys and girls would open a door of the calendar. Behind the doors are pieces of chocolate. Mine candy calendar never lasted to the end of December…

St Nicholas Day was eagerly awaited by the children in my family. For a long time we really believed that Santa Claus comes during that night and puts gifts under our pillows. I think that day brings a lot of happiness, especially to children who feel that Christmas is still so far away. One year I was already asleep and my dad was about to come upstairs and bring all our gifts. He tripped on the way up and woke me up. I was still pretending to be asleep…That’s how I found out that Santa Claus was actually my father.

I still love the tradition and although I live here, in US, I’m going to celebrate it with my daughter every year.

Do następnego razu! (Till next time…)