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...
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...
March 4, 2019
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...
December 4, 2018
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...
March 29, 2018
It's time to hunt out the basket for the annual Święcone (Easter basket blessing). This tradition dates back many centuries when priests would visit homes blessing all the Easter food....
March 9, 2018
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...
February 3, 2018
A childminder friend carried out a vote on what to celebrate: Chinese New Year, Pancake Day or Fat Thursday and guess which one was the favourite! What a sweet way...
January 27, 2018
Last year John Lewis declared that the tablecloth is on its “dying out” list. In store, many are permanently on offer. Clearly there are fewer families eating meals together at...
December 27, 2017
Carollers (Kolędnicy) on the whole sing about the Nativity, but in Poland the tradition of Kolęda doesn't just focus on the birth of Jesus. From 26th December, St Szczepan's (St Stephen's)...
December 14, 2017
Christmas Greeting Guide Stuck on those Polish Christmas cards greetings? Feel that there's nothing to add in English to the "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" already in that...
