Anna Kucewicz

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 on 8 June 1946, once hostilities with Japan had ended. The Parade was a show...

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April 10, 2020
Polish Easter dishes from our grandparents to the future

 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...

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March 14, 2020
Polish St Joseph’s Day and breaking of Lent

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...

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February 9, 2020
Survivor accounts:deportation of Poles to Russia

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...

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January 27, 2020
How did you first hear about the Holocaust ? On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

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,...

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December 30, 2019
Kuligi (sleigh rides) a sign of defiance?

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...

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December 20, 2019
Joyous treasures: Polish Christmas Carols

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...

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October 25, 2019
Chestnuts and Polish autumn songs

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...

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