Traditions

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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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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September 27, 2019
Is it obiad or lunch?

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...

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March 15, 2019
Spring clean like a Pole

In Poland it’s difficult to consider Lent and preparations for Wielkanoc (Easter), without also thinking of the annual 'spring clean' at home. The aim is indeed for your house to gleam with...

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March 4, 2019
Poles’ own version of Valentines – Kaziuki

Valentine’s Day has long gone and the shops are no longer awash with red and pink paraphernalia. But did you know that originally, it was the ‘Kaziuki’ tradition which popularised...

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December 4, 2018
Saint Nicholas, Święty Mikołaj or even Santa Claus – will he visit you on 6th?

When the cold wind bites and the rain patters on the window, listen carefully for a gentle knock on the door. If you open it even just a crack, the bajka...

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March 29, 2018
Święcone – What to put in your Polish Easter basket

It's time to hunt out the basket for the annual Święcone (Easter basket blessing). This tradition dates back many centuries when priests would go round homes blessing all the Easter...

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March 9, 2018
How Polish Post just isn’t like Lent

My mother told me she was going to polish church this week to get a real feeing of Polish Lent, which made me think about how the whole period of...

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February 3, 2018
Will you be eating Pączki or Faworki for Polish Fat Thursday?

My English childminder carried out a vote amongst her children as to whether they’d like to celebrate Chinese New Year, Pancake Day or Fat Thursday and guess which one was...

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