A Christmas Eve Tradition In Poland

WIGILIA


Wigilia is the traditional meatless Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland. The feasting begins once the first star has been sighted, usually by the children, in the heavens at dusk. It is a solemnly celebrated occasion and arouses deep feelings of kinship among family members.

Family members begin the celebration with a prayer and breaking of the Christmas wafer, oplatek, and wishing each other good fortune in the upcoming new year. Oplatek is a thin, unleavened wafer similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It is stamped with the figures of the Godchild, the blessed Mary, and the holy angels. The wafer is known as the bread of love and is often sent by mail to the absent members of the family.

After sharing the wafer the supper begins. The number of dishes is traditionally established to be either twelve or an odd number. The number twelve is symbolic of the number of months in the coming year as well as to celebrate the twelve disciples of Jesus. A lighted candle in the windows symbolizes the hope that the Godchild, in the form of a stranger, may come to share the Wigilia and an extra place is set at the table for the unexpected guest.

Traditional dishes include breaded carp filet, potatoes, zurek (in Silesia), kutia, pierogi, barszcz, uszka or a soup of cabbage and yellow peas, kluski, fried fish fillets, herring in oil, potatoes, mushroom or fish soup, and different salads. Wigilia is observed as a black fast, and as such Poles abstain from eating meat on this day.

The vigil supper concludes with family members giving gifts to one another. Christmas carols are also sung and some families attend the traditional midnight mass.





TABLE SETTING



The Wigilia table is set with a white tablecloth under which is placed hay. The hay and cloth represent the manger and the veil of Mary which would swaddle the infant Jesus. The family's best china and crystal grace the table as this is a sacred night.

In the center of the table is placed the Oplatek or wafer, often in a bed of hay, sometimes also with a representation of the Baby Jesus. The candles are lit after the youngest child has spotted the first evening star.

Tradition also dictates that an empty place be set for an unexpected guest; in memory of ancestors (for their spirit to occupy); or perhaps for Jesus himself. This is in keeping with the core Polish adage, "Gosc w dom, Bóg w dom." ["Guest in the home is God in the home."]





MENU IDEA'S

Photo's by Rita L

FISH
Delicious Old Style Gefilte Fish
Pickled Herring
Smoked Mackerel Pate
Recipe For Baked Carp

POTATOES
Paluski
Paluszki (Polish Little Fingers)
Betty Erlich's Potato Cake [ Gluten Free]
Potatoes Baked with Eggs and Cream
Potato Stew

PIEROGI
Pierogi With Cheese (Pierozki Z Serem)
Polish Pierogi (Sauerkraut & Meat Filling)
Potato Pierogi [peer-OH-gee]
Polish Pierogi (Cheese Filling)
Pierogi Z Kapusty (Pierogi W/ Sauerkraut & Mushroom Filling)
Ruskie Pierogi (Pierogi With Cheese & Potato Filling)

SOUP
Ukrainian Christmas Kutya ( Kutia)
POLISH SOUR RYE SOUP (Zurek Polski)
Polish Cabbage Soup
"Zupa Ze Swiezych Grzybow" Polish Mushroom Soup
Polish Wild Mushroom Soup

SALADS
Pickled Beets (Cwikla)
Potato and Beet Salad
Marinated Beet Salad
Cucumber Salad
Polish Vegetable Potato Salad

DESSERT
Ciastka Makowe (Poppy Seed Crisps)
Polish Poppy Seed Loaves (2)
Apricot Kolachkes
Kolacky Del Babbo Classico
Honey Cake
Polish Apple Cake (Jablecznik)




Wesolych Swiat! Bozego Narodzenia!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

can I post in this thread? Once again you brought back some happy memories. My father who is no longer with us, was from poland.. Love the pierogi recipe's.. don't think my mom made them though lol Thanks gf..
hugs

Yes please do Faith!! My aunt used to make some great pierogi's but never wrote the recipe down.

Wow!, It`s That time of the year to start preparing for Wiglia

Our family fasts till the first star of the night is shown.
At which point we start our Traditional Christmas Dinner.
Oplatek is shared by each guest having a piece each and we go to each other and wish good health and happiness take a piece from each others, eat, then hug and kiss them.
Then having this we pray for the meal, those with us and those deceased.
Always an extra table setting.
Herring (one of the many fishes we enjoy this Eve)is the starter and we place each on a fork and click with each other and eat. As if a toast!
Then, yes we to do Grand Champagne
toasts all night! Hic Up!

Polish Recipes

this has Step x Step photos and 2 ways to make
Poppy Seed Roll (Makowiec)& Bread Machine Method



Oh my!! TOTAL COMFORT FOOD! Hot Gooey, Creamy peanut butter and jelly with melted chocolate, What more can you ask for! Oh yes filled into a soft tender dough when fried nice and buttery crisp! I came up with these when we made pierogies this year and had left over dough. I asked my Daughter if she had any preserves, then Peanut butter lightly mixed them together and then asked for chocolate chips and she had mini ones which worked out great!!!! THE REST IS HISTORY! The filling is an estimate so be gentle on your reviews! Please do use my dough Potato Pierogi [peer-OH-gee] or your favorite Pierogi - Peanut Butter and Jelly Pierogi's [peer-Oh-Gee]

My Babci`s recipe
Walnut Crescents
A must for Wigilia
Barszcz Beet Soup
For Christmas Eve be sure to use a Vegetable Broth in Wild About Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup as for no meat is eaten.
A great after dinner drink Hot Vodka with Honey (Krupnik) is drank warm or chilled.
A dessert treat Polish Rum Balls
After the meal is complete and if we remember or if not to tipsy from the champange we each pull a straw (hay) from under the tablecloth and the one with the longest has extra luck for the year!
Old-Fashioned Homemade Eggnog
Creamy Eggnog Punch with Spiced Rum

Mulled Spiced Wine

Raise your glasses to salute one another
"Na Zdrowie” (to our health),
&
"Stolat, (100 years)"

Thanks Lori! KC's family is polish and I have so many ideas to include for Christmas this year! I am going to set the table with a white tablecloth with hay underneath and the Oplatek on the hay is also great. I know a 4 year old who will be thrilled to search for the first star! And, a place will be set at the table for KC's father in his memory!

Thank you for sharing these traditions! They will make Christmas even more special for our family!

Here is a link to my Polish cookbook. It contains my recipes and recipes from other Zaarites.

http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=93896

Christmas Eve dinner is only outdone by our Easter traditonal meal.
Hope you have a chance to try some of these.
Wesoly Swiat! (Vesowi Svont)

You go girl! Sounds like you`re turning into a Polish wife!

As celebrated in my family, Wigilia has always been held by candlelight. Also, it's the youngest member of the family's duty to report the sighting of the first star in the sky, which is when everyone comes to the table and grace and the breaking of the oplatek begins.

Edited to add - wow I didn't see Rita'd already posted about the star... nice to know that traditions are celebrated by others than yourself.

My family is Lithuanian, and we have a very similar Christmas Eve custom, which we call Kucios. We also hae the breaking of the wafer (plotkele) and hay under the cloth, the twelve dishes, a meatless/fast meal. One of the traditions we have that I did not see mentioned here is that everyone pulls out one of the straws from under the tablecloth. Whoever's straw is longest will live the longest.

It's wonderful how much we share in these customs, and how many of them are continued no matter how far away you are from Poland or Lithuania or wherever your family roots arise.

We celebrate Wigilia each and every year! My father-in-law has the oplatek sent straight from Poland and it has been blessed by a Priest there. Unfortunately, my dear mother-in-law passed away in 1999 and Wigilia hasn't been the same since. She always insisted on making EVERYTHING and even though my sister-in-law and I try our best, our Wigilia is missing a major ingredient - our dear Ludwika (Lucy) Mom and Mother-in-law. We will continue this tradition for as long as God allows! Thank you for sharing it with the group Laura. My name is Laura also but I am Laura Louise.

It`s great that you are trying. Do remember she is with you. I hope you remembered to set a place for her.
I`m sure she is proud of you.

Thank you Rita for your kind words! Yes, we did set a place for my mother-in-law. I hope you have a healthy and happy New Year!
Fondly,
Laura

I gather you are Irish? That makes for a great mix!

Hi, we are going to do a Polish dinner this year at christmas. Unfortunalty, i have not heard of most of these customs, but as i am researching Wigilia, i am so excited to be able to start a new tradition!
Is it possible to make Oplatek?
Also, about 10 of the 14 people at the gathering are meat eaters, (not me!) so any ideas on how to strongly suggest that Wiglia is SUPPOSED to be a meat-less meal?

Also, can someone suggest a menu for about 14? Preferably vegan?

Mary

[quote=""]Hi, we are going to do a Polish dinner this year at christmas. Unfortunalty, i have not heard of most of these customs, but as i am researching Wigilia, i am so excited to be able to start a new tradition!
Is it possible to make Oplatek?
Also, about 10 of the 14 people at the gathering are meat eaters, (not me!) so any ideas on how to strongly suggest that Wiglia is SUPPOSED to be a meat-less meal?

Also, can someone suggest a menu for about 14? Preferably vegan?

Mary[/quote] I never ever thought to make Oplatek! First it is blessed so just get. here is a little info on it
http://acweb.colum.edu/users/agunkel/homepage/polxmaso.html
The beginning of this thread has much to offer and here are some recipes
http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=32588
Don`t forget to fast and once the first star is out then you can eat. NO MEAT! But seafood is good. Many do 7 types. To me this is a feast not a fast!
But we don`t gt to te cookies till after 12:00 midnight that is. I have bad lightening storms and really realy need to get off the computor. You are welcome to leave any questions . I`ll be happy to help.