Traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia)
In Poland, Christmas Eve is a very important night to meet with family, decorate and remember lost loved ones. This night is traditionally called “Wilgilia” (the vigil) and it is a night in which people symbolize the awaiting of the birth of Jesus Christ (which in fact gives more importance to this day than Christmas itself). During this night, the Poles cook delicious dishes as part of the celebration.
Polish Christmas Eve traditions
In Wiligia, Poles decorate their homes with evergreens, ornaments, apples, lights, nuts, and candles. They also hang “pijaki“(the spiderweb decorations) on the ceiling, dozynki (colored crowns) on the wall and a fir tree with some beams on the ceiling. Perhaps the most important tradition is the preparation of the table. Traditionally, hay is placed under a white tablecloth to symbolize Jesus’ bed in the manger and Mary’s veil. The family’s grandmother places wafers (oplatki) on the table to symbolize communion. They are usually placed in the best part of China. When setting the table, an extra stage is set in case a hungry person passes by, this is taken from this story of José. Finally, the mother of the family lights candles in the window to celebrate the welcome of the baby Jesus.
After dinner, Santa Claus (the Man of the Stars) accompanied by his singing Star Boys, visits the children and rewards them for being good. Bring Star Land gifts for good kids and scold kids who misbehaved during the year.
Traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal
The food prepared on Christmas Eve consists of recipes without meat. The tradition was adopted from the Roman Catholics. They used to fast for the four weeks around Christmas Eve called Advent and break the fast with meatless meals. They created 13 plates that represented the apostles of Christ and each plate represented food from the four corners of the earth.
- Forest mushrooms
- Orchard fruit
- Fish from the lake or the sea
- Field grains
The Poles created recipes that incorporated these four elements such as barszcz wilgilijny z uszkami (Christmas Eve borscht with uszka dumplings), herring, breaded white fish, cabbage rolls, gingerbread cookies, honey cake and carp in aspic.
Continuing the Tradition
We understand how important it is to maintain tradition, and some of these foods may be difficult to find in the US To continue the tradition, you can order these foods at www.polana.com. Polana sells classic Polish gourmet recipes like Mushroom Barley Soup, Honey Spice Cake, Meatballs and much more.
