USA, Canada /
Stories from Babcia's homeland Poland- Please join in the discussion [29]
Since this is the Christmas season. I will tell of my experience's growing up in America as a second generation Pole.
I was fortunate, because my family came from good Polish Peasant stock.. They all lived to a ripe old age. They still celebrated Christmas the same way, that when they landed in America. I was fortunate to participate in this celebration.
Christmas eve (WIGILIA) was celebrated by my whole family in my CIOTKAS home. There were a lot of us. Everybody pitched in to help. All of my aunts had a task to do. The women cooked and baked. The men set up the tree and supplied the booze.
Early on Christmas eve, we gatehered together. The table was filled with food. Pieroge, groh and kapusta, babka, borcht, salads, no meat since we had to fast until midnight. Under the table cloth the was placed a sheath of hay. The oplatek was passed around and we sang KOLEDY..Telling stories ofd the old country, eating and drinking. My uncle played the accordian while we sang koledy.
We went to midnight mass, came home, and ate fresh and smoked kielbasa and szynka. This went on until daybreak.
Zyciem wam wrzysty wesolego Bozego Narodziena ZOSIA
Pasterze mili, coście widzieli?
Widzieliście maleńkiego,
Jezusa narodzonego,
Syna Bożego, Syna Bożego.