Traditional Polish Christmas Eve Dinner (Wigilia)
In Poland, Christmas eve is a very important night for gathering with the family, decorating and remembering lost loved ones. This night is traditionally called “Wilgilia” (the vigil) and it is a night where people symbolize awaiting the birth of Jesus Christ (which in effect brings more importance to this day than Christmas itself). During this night, Poles cook delicious food as part of the celebration.
Polish Christmas Eve Traditions
On Wiligia, Poles decorate their homes with evergreen, ornament, apples, lights, nut and candles. They also hang “pajaki” (the spider-web like decorations) from the ceiling, dozynki (colorful wreaths) on the wall and a fir tree from a beams in the ceiling. Perhaps the most important tradition is the table preparation. Traditionally, hay is placed underneath a white table linen to symbolize Jesus’ bed in the manger and Mary’s veil. The grandmother of the family places wafers (oplatki) on the table to symbolize the communion. These are usually placed on the best piece of China. When setting the table, an extra setting is laid in case a hungry person happen is pass by, this is taken from this story of Joseph. Lastly, the mother of the family lights candles in the window to celebrate the welcoming of baby Jesus.
After dinner, Father Christmas (the Star Man) accompanied by his singing Star Boys, pay a visit to the children and reward them for being good. He brings presents from Star Land for the good kids and scolds any children who misbehaved during the year.
Traditional Polish Christmas Eve Food
The food prepared on Christmas Eve consists of meatless recipes. The tradition was adopted from the Roman Catholics. They used to fast for the four weeks approaching Christmas Eve called advent and break the fast with meatless meals. They created 13 dishes that represented the apostles of Christ and each dish represented foods from the four corners of the earth.
- Mushrooms from the forests
- Fruit from the orchard
- Fish from the lake or sea
- Grains from the field
The Polish created recipes that incorporated these four elements such as barszcz wilgilijny z uszkami (Christmas Eve borscht with uszka dumplings), herring, breaded whitefish, cabbage rolls, gingerbread cookies, honey spice cake and carp in aspic.
Continuing the Tradition
We understand how important keeping the tradition is, and some of these meals may be hard to find throughout the USA. To continue the tradition, you can order these foods from www.polana.com. Polana sells gourmet polish classic recipes such as mushroom and barley soup, honey spice cake, dumplings, and much more.
