What is your favorite Polish Christmas tradition? Posted by Kasia on Dec 24, 2014
Polish customs (polskie obyczaje), especially at Christmas time, are both beautiful and meaningful. The preparations for Christmas begin many days before the actual celebration. Nearly everywhere women are cleaning windows in apartments and houses just before Christmas. The insides of the houses are also cleaned thoroughly. It is believed that if a house is dirty on Christmas…
Wigilia in Poland Posted by Kasia on Dec 16, 2014
Wigilia or Wilia, from the Latin word vigilare — to watch, Czuwać in Polish, is reverently close to the heart of a Pole. It is greeted with such mystical symbolism, that it is considered by many to be a greater holiday than Christmas itself. The very word Wigilia, which in Poland was formerly known as…
Polish winter destination! Posted by Kasia on Dec 8, 2014
Although the temperatures are low and the skies often grey, there’s plenty to do in Poland in winter. This mighty country gets its first snows in November and the mercury can plummet well below freezing – January and February are the coldest months – so dress appropriately to insulate against the chill. Although Kraków is…
World Aids Day – Światowy Dzień AIDS Posted by Kasia on Dec 1, 2014
World AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome – Zespół Nabytego Niedoboru Odporności) Day is held on December 1st each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global…
What makes you mad? Posted by Kasia on Nov 30, 2014
We all have good and bad days…we all have patience…to the point! And what happens then? We explode…or not…depending on the person:) I already posted a blog about some “bad” polish words (Przekleństwa – curse words)…so today we will take it easy and just concentrate on some “lighter” anger words and expressions:) Jestem zła –…
Andrzejki, Andrzejki! Posted by Kasia on Nov 29, 2014
If you’re a single young lady in Poland on the night of November 29th, you have a unique, perhaps harrowing, opportunity before you; or a great excuse to flee the country:) The Eve of St. Andrew’s Day (Andrzejki) has been associated with fortune-telling in Poland for centuries. The first written mention of the tradition goes…
Stanisław Mikulski has passed away:( Posted by Kasia on Nov 28, 2014
He was one of my favorite Polish actors…Stanislaw Mikulski, who played fictional WWII agent Hans Kloss in one of Poland’s biggest TV hits of the communist era (“Stawka większa niż życie”), died on Thursday morning aged 85. “Stawka większa niż życie” (More Than Life at Stake, Stakes Larger Than Life or Playing for High Stakes), a very popular…