Hi there! I was hoping to take advantage of your knowledge and ask for a bit of advice. I am in a wonderfully happy relationship with a Polish girl (so please stop in your tracks with the "she's after money etc comments) but i would like to know if there are any particular customs or traditions that i should know about...i.e that i can turn up to knowing about without either her telling me or me having to ask? One particular one is "name day", now from what i understood, this seemed to almost replace your birthday as you moved into adulthood, but from reading other threads on here it seems i may be mistaken in that assumption? Any help would be great and i thank you all for any helpful comments or advice! Thanks Again
Thanks Bzibzioh, but to clarify, when is a persons name day? Is it the same date as their birthday? or is it simply a date of their choosing? Please excuse my ignorance and thanks for the help!
No, they are separate. You have to verify the calendar. In case when the name has several dates during the year, usually its the next one after the birthday.
For example, you can check the dates here bazy.hoga.pl/imiona.asp
Yes, name days are more commonly celebrated, birthdays - not so much, only the memorable ones (for example 18th)
This is how woman in Poland think -- they simply do not like celebrating birthdays. Birthday celebration is more popular with men. For example, I do not celebrate my nameday myself but do it on birthday.
Rubyoptics, it is OK to ask your girlfriend about the date of her nameday. The same name can be celebrated on different days of year; this is the person's choice for her/his nameday.
In case when the name has several dates during the year, usually its the next one after the birthday.
A question Bzi ... in the case of Magda, f.e. In May there are about three or four Magda-dates. And three in June as well if memory serves me correctly. I know a Magda who is born in October, yet has her name day coming Wednesday. How would that work in this case? I never got it ... :S
Another particular customs in Poland are All Saints Day (Wszystkich Świętych) on November 1st and Zaduszki on November 2nd.
All Saints means people visit cemeteries to light candles on family graves. Meaning crowds and traffic jams, just to mention the reality. Zaduszki is the memorial day. Not only prayers for souls but also numerous solemn concerts in all genres of music to commemorate great people who had died.
Interestingly, Halloween is accepted as imported custom and people enjoy parties before the two next solemn days.
Another custom not widely known is the blessing of the food on Easter Saturday. You will have to help your Polish significant other to boil and paint eggs, prepare basket, dress nicely and go to the church for a short ceremony.
Don't be shocked to see many little girls walking in white little-princess dresses - May/beginning of June is a 1st Holly Communions time
June 1st, Day of children (Dzień Dziecka)
Zielone Świątki (this year on June 12th) - a day free of work, Catholic holiday
Boże Ciało (this year on June 23th) - a day free of work, Catholic holiday, a street processions on this day including little girls throwing around petals of flowers
Night of June 23th/24th is called Noc Świętojańska (St.John's night) nothing special that day but it's said to be the shortest night in whole year so there might be some parties that day (but it's not a rule). Sometimes little kids throw wreaths made of meadow flowers to rivers.
August 15th - a day free of work, national holiday + Church holiday
Night of November 29th/30th - so called "Andrzejki" (st.Andrew day) it's a pagan (yes pagan!) traditional day of spells, prophecy and foreseeing of the future. On that they girls (mostly kids) make weird rites to foresee what their future husband will be like. The most common to pouring a wax from lighted canddle into water through a hole in a key.
December 6th, so called "Mikołajki" - a Santa Claus day (in Poland called Święty Mikołaj). This day os a proper day of receiving gifts from Santa Claus! Usually kids get small gifts (sweets, sometimes little toys)
Christmas - a subject for a separate discussion (gifts are given but those gifts are from the family)
After New Year a priests are visiting for few weeks their parish members at their homes to give a bless for the New Year (it's called "Kolęda" - like a Christmas carrol).
Święto Trzech Króli (3 Kings' Holiday) - another Catholic holiday and a day free of work. Some people writes on their doors K+M+B (initials of the kings who visited newly born Jesus baby: Kacper, Melchior, Baltazar)
Fat Thursday (in Englishlanguage world known as Fat Tuesday) - a Thursday before a Great Fast, eating doughnuts (pączki) is widely encouraged ;)
Środa Popielcowa - a fist day of the Great Fast (Wednesday), a strict fast day (for Catholics it means that they don't eat meat and generally eat less), some go to churches to give their head being sprinkled by an ash.
1st day of Spring (March 21st) - unoffcially called a day of truant (dzień wagarowicza) - kids escape from school (or schools to prevent kids escaping from lessons, organises sport and entertaining events). Other customs that day (mostly followed by little children) is topienie Marzanny (lit. drawning of Marzanna) - a puppet called Marzanna which symbolise Winter is thrown to rivers
Easter - a subject for a separate thread.
Wet Monday (a Monday of Easter holidays) "Lany Poniedziałek" - a big fight on water ;))) There is even more fun if Wet Monday is mixed with Prima Aprilis (Fool's Day, April 1st)
That would be it. If something more come to my mind I let you know ;)
Boże Ciało (this year on June 23th) - a day free of work, Catholic holiday, a street processions on this day including little girls throwing around petals of flowers
It's called Corpus Christi. I was in Kraków two years ago, sitting in the outside cafe at Rynek (main market) during the procession and group of Americans sitting at the next table was amazed at the splendor of the ceremony. So you may want to check that out.
Thank-you so much all of you for the advice and help given to me. unfortunately due to my job i cant be present at all of them, but i know my significant other had a great "Wet Monday"...i mean seriously...why havent more countries caught onto this one??!!! Also, thanks for clarifying the name day situation, that one had me puzzled for a while. 13 days until im back in Warsaw again and i really can't wait!
"May Long Weekend". End of April/Beginning of May. Since May 1st (Labour's Day) and May 3rd (Constitution Day) are public holidays and there will be Saturday/Sunday around, people stop working for around a week, and it is very hard to find an open shop. Be prepared!
During the Long Weekend, open-air parties are popular, with bonfire or grill.
why havent more countries caught onto this one??!!!
Because - unless you are a child - it's really pain in the ass. Army of teenagers throwing buckets of water on every passer by. I'm not really fond of it at all.
Thank-you so much all of you, your comments and advice have been really helpful, and a special thanks to maaarysia for reminding me about mothers day!!
