Blog

December 19, 2020
5 ways to make your Christmas truly Polish

One: Moments of stillness In the hustle and bustle of pre-Christmas preparations we don't have a minute to spare. This can sometimes spill over into the season itself. So remember...

December 13, 2020
Polish citizenship – the ultimate guide

If 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 experiences. Months...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...