Wigilia and Such

 Two weeks ago I came home to a birthday celebration. Marta turned 17. Her parents came to visit and brought her three Costco sized cakes, several bottles of champagne, a bouquet of roses and a pile of gifts. Sunday evening, after her parents left she invited a bunch of people to our room (without telling me), ordered several huge pizzas and the resulting festivities went until about 2am. Things were pretty relaxed until the Ukrainian boys brought a few bottles of Vodka over. They have the funniest way of drinking vodka. They have two glasses and they fill one with vodka and the other with coke. They take a swig of vodka and then chase it with a sip of coke, but they never mix the two.....Monday morning was rough....

Left to Rt: Jana, Mario, Nastia, Julius, Marta

Cake, Chocolate and Moscato

All of last week was focused on preparing for the xmas holidays. We were taught Polish xmas carols and there were singing practices held daily at the beginning of afternoon classes. The melodies are all different from American xmas carols, as well as the words, obviously, so it took me a few days to catch-on. Silent night was approached a little differently. The first verse was sung in Polish and then the following verses were each sung in a different language based on the country you were from. It was a very long song as there were over 12 languages to cover.

Part of the Wigilia feast

In class we spent the week learning about Wigilia, which is how the Poles celebrate Xmas. On Xmas Eve, once the first star is visible in the night sky, the festivities begin. A big meal is shared made up of twelve meatless dishes. It often includes beet soup with dumplings, carp, pierogi with mushrooms and the like. There is always an extra place-setting at the table for an unknown guest that might need a place to celebrate the holiday. No one is supposed to be alone on Xmas. 

Before the feast begins family members individually break opłatek, which are large wafers. They give each other pieces of their opłatek along with a wish for the coming year. Standard wishes include: luck, health and happines, but for those you are close to you often add a personal wish. This can be polished off with 'merry xmas' (wesołych świąt) and 'happy new year' (szczęśliwego nowego roku). Unlike the American Xmas, gifts are not an important part of Wigilia. Saint Nicholas comes on December 6th and brings small gifts for the children. It was a very festive day in Kraków. There was a big parade in the street and you could see Santa walking around the square. But Santa is not associated with Xmas. 

Doro, Anastasia, Me, Ania

Thursday evening, the school held a traditional Wigilia for the students and teachers so that we could all experience a Polish Xmas. It was held in a cafe underneath the oldest university building in Kraków. A nativity play was performed by the more advanced students, in Polish, which was followed by speeches from the current and previous directors. We all sang the Xmas carols we learned and then there were musical performances by a few other students. We then broke opłatek and the feast began! The breaking of the opłatek was my favorite part. You got to share with your friends, peers, teachers, and even people you did not know. It was amazing to be surrounded by people excitedly giving each other positive wishes for the coming year.

Saki, Me, Ania, Shelley