Christmas in Poland

Christmas in Poland falls on December 25 (main celebration on Christmas Eve, called Wigilia). For many families the celebration stretches across several days, with quieter moments at home alongside the busier public events.

Many families wait until the first star appears in the sky on Christmas Eve before sitting down to dinner. An extra place is often set at the table for an unexpected guest. Before the meal, family members share opłatek, a thin wafer, and exchange wishes. Many attend Pasterka, a midnight Mass.

Wigilia traditionally features twelve meatless dishes, often including barszcz with uszka, mushroom soup, pierogi, fried carp, herring, cabbage with mushrooms, kompot z suszu and poppy seed cake. Christmas Day meals are heartier and may include roast meats.

Gifts are usually exchanged on the evening of December 24, after the Wigilia supper. Depending on the region, presents may be brought by Święty Mikołaj, Gwiazdor, the Aniołek or Dzieciątko.

The festive figure most associated with Christmas in Poland is Święty Mikołaj, with regional figures such as Gwiazdor in the north-west. Names, costumes and gift giving dates can vary from family to family and from region to region.

In many Polish homes, a small bundle of hay is placed under the Wigilia tablecloth as a reminder of the stable in Bethlehem.