Anna Kucewicz

December 13, 2020
Polish citizenship – the ultimate guide

If like me, you’ve been thinking of confirming your Polish citizenship to to emphasise your heritage or to stay a European citizen, here is a quick guide based on my...

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December 5, 2020
Are you making traditional Polish Christmas decorations?

Are you thinking about buying new decorations?  Think again. Our ancestors made their own and we all have memories of making them with our parents but homemade isn't just for...

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November 10, 2020
11 November – origins of Poland’s National Independence Day

For those of us brought up on 11 listopada (11 November) concerts in which we were often on stage and attending obligatory patriotic masses, this day linked to Poland's regaining of...

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November 2, 2020
An All Souls’ walk through Polish cemeteries

Saunter with me through some of the famous Polish cemeteries I've visited through the years, within and outside Poland's boundaries.  Poland's All Saints Day on 1st November is a national...

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October 10, 2020
What links our “dożynki”- harvest dances with harvest time in Poland?

The countryside of Poland is "like a ruffled patchwork quilt sewn from rich shades of colour and a variety of textures, from the lightest, yellowish brown to the darkest, velvety...

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August 29, 2020
Did your great or grandparents fight in the forgotten Polish-Soviet war of 1920?

Do you know much about your family history at the time of World War I or just after? The last century was an incredibly traumatic one for our ancestors. The war front...

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July 18, 2020
Raise a toast for Ognisko Polskie, 80 years!

Let's raise a glass this weekend for Ognisko Polskie in Kensington, London, celebrating 80 years of serving the Polish community in exile. A success story which throughout the Second World...

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June 26, 2020
Memories of Penrhos stanica – the end of the Polish scout house

The heady scent of flowers on a summer’s evening is potent as a group of zuchy run excitedly down the road: they have earned the right to spend 10 minutes...

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June 12, 2020
A glimpse into the UK’s ‘old’ Polish community

With planned changes at the Penrhos Residential Polish Home (near Phwhelli in Wales) in mind, I came across a gem of a film about another residential home, Ilford Park in the...

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May 6, 2020
Why did it take 60 long years for Poles to join the Victory Parade?

The official British Victory Parade to celebrate the end of World War II took place in June 1946, once hostilities with Japan had ended. The Parade was a show of...

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