Did you know pre-war Polish cuisine, that of our grandparents or great grandparents was quite different to current dishes? For Wielkanoc (Easter) there were no faszerowane jajka (stuffed eggs), no...
March 14, 2020
If for you Lent is already dragging on, there's one day coming up when all Lenten obligations are thrown off and weddings, celebrations and other feasts can take place. St...
February 9, 2020
It is 80 years since on 10 February 1940, over 1 million people were sent from the Eastern borderlands of Poland to slave labour in Soviet Russia. A few survivors recorded...
January 27, 2020
Which books or films influenced your knowledge of the Holocaust? Although I had heard a little of World War II from my family by the time I was at primary school,...
December 30, 2019
This Christmas I've been dreaming of the Polish tradition and romance of kuligi (sleigh rides). Who wouldn't want to be sliding swiftly through the night underneath a frosty sky, behind...
December 20, 2019
I'm not sure how aware I was that new kolędy (carols) are constantly being conceived as we tend to sing the ones we know from childhood, many dating from the...
October 25, 2019
As the leaves start to fall around us and the last of summer's rays warm our limbs, the season of endings as well as new beginnings and great beauty drives...
September 27, 2019
Recently I had a convoluted conversation with friends about the names of meals in Polish and English. What is the difference between drugie śniadanie and lunch? Is there one? And...
August 23, 2019
I first saw the sky high grey concrete communist blocks in the district of Wola to the west of Warszawa’s centre as a child. My second aunt and uncle lived...
July 12, 2019
At this time of year I'm often helping the harcerki (girl scouts) learn about Polish history. To illustrate my talks I sometimes use the works of the 19th century painter...
