Genealogy / Obtaining Original Poznan Parish Records, Greater Poland archives? [22]


Impossible. Original parish records are entries in big parish books (in Polish "księga ślubów" - the 'book of weddings'). They won't send you the book or tear a page out.

But they can make you an extract which serves as an official document and contains all the information that are in the book.

The best thing to deal with a parish red tape is a personal visit. If it's impossible, it would be better to write to them. But not in English, in Polish! (I can help you, I'm Polish, done some stuff with parish records). If it is something very old, there is a possibility that the parish no longer exist. Or maybe they don't keep very old books. If you encounter such problem, write to the diocesan curia to which the parish belongs - the curia keeps copies of all the parish records.

In the letter you should provide all the information about the marriage you know - the more you tell them, the easier it will be to find the right record. The most important thing is the date of marriage.

As far as the letter is concerned, it should be a formal letter, in which you write that you are from America and you are looking for information about your ancestors, so you kindly request to obtain the extract from the book of marriages concerning the marriage that took place in the year N, between X and Y, who were your (name of relation). And all that polite formal stuff and additional info. Write it in English and PM to me, or if you don't trust me (why would you?), post it here and I'll post my translation, so that anyone could read and criticise.

I'm not that fluent in the question of donations.

Food / Name of this particular Polish sausage [19]

melbel,
have you got a pic of that sausage, but not grilled? The one you posted is grilled and it's really hard to say.

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

I found a longer list:
nonsensopedia.wikia.com/wiki/S%C5%82ownik:Masturbacja

Polish language is indeed rich :D. My faves: iskać mandryla, wskrzesić £azarza, dzyndzolić fiflaka

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

More for masturbation:
szarpać Michałka
głaskać ebonita
ładować fajeczkę
obierać banana
oświecić odrodzenie
grzać parówę
prowadzać penetratora
pukać w jajko
pompować budyń
blaszczyć pytonga
pucować torpedę
obierać pora
czochrać predatora
czesać pafnucego
poprawiać namiot
młócić capa
jechać Jasia
marszczyć freda
bić Wacława
trzepać prącie
smyrać gwoździa
obsługiwać peryskopa
śmigać wała
pstrykać pytę
pienić rurę
muskać pieniek
drapać konara
fałdować mutona
męczyć pałę
gładzić grzecha
fasować szwunga
tasować dżordża
strugać kołka
obierać parówkę
brykać tygryska
trząchać kapcia
brechtać serdla
siekać wafla
rąbać szkapę
nękać jaszczura
szlifować stalagmita
strobilizować tasiemca
ćwiczyć młodego
tuczyć wieprza
musztrować jungsa
heblować belę
ciągać strzałę
klepać miecza
ciskać kałasza
stukać faję
stroszyć bobra
patroszyć śledzia
głaskać węgorza
palić kubanosa
drażnić byka
iskać fistaszka
łupać orzeszka
łuskać kaczana
polerować kolbę
głaskać misia
woskować lufę
szorować wyciora
kręcić tuleje
oprawiać gnata
dusić flaka
studzić pręta
grzać muła
rypać źrebaka
odkręcać Kubusia
chłostać fikacza
frezować trzonka
pukać ćwieka
plumkać wajchę
prostować druta
kulać bobsona
jechać bilarda
robić buta
niańczyć smerfusia
imać drąga
wbijać smyka
ryrać dzidę
ciosać pala
łapać jaszczura
chapać organa
wyżymać wisiora
gwintować końcówę
gruchać frędzla
dobruchać kata
szturchać smoka
błogosławić plebana
stroić fleta
cykać świerszcza
rąbać kłodę
podkręcać knota
cyklinować klepkę
cucić kapucyna
szkolić majstra
wysuwać qqłkę
falować ogóra
gnębić karminadla
chapsnąć wędlinę
łapać ptaka
bzykać trzmiela
klepać rynnę
pędzić kaktusa
urywać sopla
targać wihajstra
straszyć węża
karcić prezesa
tuczyć ephraima
ciumkać bigosa
szorować zbroje
kierować dyszla
masować szyjkę
grać bilarda
smażyć kiełbasę
ubijać schaba
tłoczyć galaretę
odkręcać kranik
kłuć żądło
maltretować hot-doga
stawiać wieżę
ścinać tłoka
pitrasić minoga
lać lenia
karczować foresta
toczyć majoneza
czarować różdżkę
łypać kłosa
pracować główką
wyrywać korzenia
gibać goryla
walić gruszkę
prężyć strunę
skakać małysza
łapać gołębia
turlać walca
ruszać fafika
obracać rożen
wyciągać batona
strzepnąć pitola

Life / Womans day in Poland? [242]


Moon is obviously him. Anyone who knows Polish language at least a bit knows that.


For some reason the flower most associated with Woman's Day is tulip.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

A niech to gęś kopnie!
Motyla noga!
Do jasnej anielki!
Kurcze pieczone/blade!

Life / In need of good Polish jokes about Polish culture, people, etc [226]

Jan Kochanowski is sitting under his lime tree. He's trying to write something but he can't find any inspiration. Suddenly, he sees a muse in distance, in his garden.

'Oh, muse! Help me! I need inspiration' he calls.
The muse comes to him, thinks for a while and whispers something to his ear.
'No, not another epigram! I've written so many' he sighs.
The muse thinks again, and whispers another idea to Kochanowski's ear.
'Greek tragedy? No, one is enough.'
The muse is thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and finally, she comes up with a brilliant idea, which she again tells to Kochanowski.
'Yes! That is great!' exclaims the poet joyfully, 'Urszulka' he calls, 'Come to daddy!'

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]


LOL. Or maybe "bladolicy"? That just sounds so silly...

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

MURZYN wasn't racist until the fashion for political correctness was imported to Poland from the US :P Without PC nobody would even think there can be something offensive about. Any word can be offensive if used with such intention. The racist word in Polish is CZARNUCH.

I've heard that African immigrants (mainly African students :) ) want themselves to be called CZARNOSKÓRZY (lit. black-skinned). But for me it's artificial.

Food / Do Polish people really love cabbage ?? [78]


Add some beef, sausage, forest mushroom, vegetables (carrot, celery root, onions, anything you've got in your fridge), dried fruit, wine or whatever and cook it altogether until it becomes dark brown.

Food / Do Polish people really love cabbage ?? [78]

I love cabbage, especially sauerkraut.

I like in in bigos, in salad, in pierogi and in kapuśniak (sauerkraut soup).

This thread made me want some bigos. I'm going to the kitchen to warm some up ;-)

Food / Confusion over flour names in Poland [46]


I guess it's pszenna mąka razowa or something like that.

Life / Famous / Iconic Polish Women [48]

From 19th century:

Military leader: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilia_Plater

A great actress: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Modjeska

And a Norwegian woman, iconic for Polish Modernism: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagny_Juel-Przybyszewska

Life / IS CHEATING ON EXAMS OK? (younger Poles don't think so) [30]

Cheating in exams that check practical application of knowledge and understanding is stupid. It can help a student pass one or two exams, but if student doesn't know anything or use their brain, sooner or later it will come out. At some stage arrears make it impossible to understand the further material and make a student unable to perform any task that demands thinking. And cheating is also very stressful - a cheater is afraid that someone may discover his or her tricks and he or she will fail. Taking an exam well prepared is the least stressful option.

But when the exam is about memorizing a lot of useless data that nobody knows by heart in real life but people look it up in some reference - then it's better to cheat than load your memory with rubbish that will be forgotten in a week.

I never knew why I had to know formulae by heart for physics. I don't think having them written down on a sheet of paper would make me understand physics less or it would be any helpful to someone who doesn't understand it.

Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [188]


It is for the ones who use Polish public transport twice a day :P

Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [188]


Those smelly pigs on the buses usually look like unemployed ones. Many of them are also too old to work. And, believe me: someone just got sweaty stinks different than someone who hasn't washed for a week.

Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [188]


Onions, garlic and exotic spices indeed makes you smell. Especially while cooking - cutting onions makes your hands stink. But it's enough to wash them thoroughly. Garlic also cause bad breath, but brushing your teeth helps.

I repeat: it's about water, soap, clean clothes and deodorant, NOT anything else.

Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [188]


You can get a good antiperspirant for about 12-15 zł. That's an equivalent of about 4 bottles of beer, 2-3 packs of cigarettes, 8 - 10 loaves of bread. And, mind you, you don't use all at once. Most people can afford spending 12 zł per month for an antiperspirant.


Unfortunately, some groups of Polish people have the same custom (mainly old, uneducated and poor). I've even heard that a real man bathes only once a week.

OK, I will try to answer the question. I use public transport almost every day and very often I have to stand next to someone who stinks like hell. And sometimes I'm really frustrated. It's true, that a lot of people in Poland stink.

People in Poland have very different hygienic habits. Apart from people who wash at least every day, change their clothes frequently enough and use antiperspirants, there are those who treat hygiene like peasants did in 19th century. E.g. for many people a deodorant is not something to keep you from sweating, but a thingy that women use to smell nice when they can't afford perfume. There's a lot of men in Poland who never use deodorant and don't even think it's something to do with hygiene. They also wash too rarely and wear one shirt for a week. Women are usually more careful about their hygiene even

the ones from the same social backgrounds. The biggest problem is with old people - their natural B.O. is worse than young people's, so they should be even more careful about hygiene. But, very often, they aren't careful about hygiene at all. Their senses are numbed, they can't feel they stink, so they think everything is OK and they don't wash themselves. No, they don't think one should wash BEFORE one starts to stink. I used to have a neighbour - an old lady - who smelt really bad. Her flat smelt, too. When she opened her door, the whole staircase stank unbearably. I could smell it long after she shut her door.

When you get on a bus, it's very probable, that you'll come across one of the stinking ones.

So the answer is: it's not about hard work, poverty genetics or anything. It's about bad habits still cultivated in some social backgrounds.

And to non-Polish people surprised reading this: I know you might been to Poland and have met only nice, civilized Poles who have nothing to do with such barbarians. But remember - when you go to Poland you only talk to people from certain social backgrounds. You usually meet those nice, civilized, tolerant, European, polite Poles. But you can't judge the whole society basing on them. You usually only get to know people who speak some English - i.e. the better-educated part of the society. But those people who carry that Saturday night bath custom usually don't speak any foreign languages or even proper Polish.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]


It does.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]


Radek is a diminutive of Radosław - a male name.


Rakaska doesn't mean anything specific.

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [656]

Typical Polish look? Don't look at models and actors because they usually have a lot of make up on and their hair dyed. That doesn't make sense. S

So, this is what I've observed, living in Poland:

hair: most from medium blonde to dark brown. ginger, very fair blonde, very dark brown black are rare.
You can see a lot of black, platinum blonde and bright red in the street, but these are usually dyed.

eyes: hazel, grey, blue, green, often strange mix-ups of colours in one eye. Very dark eyes are rare. Usually almond-shaped

skin: rather fair. If you see darker shades, it is usually tan or too dark foundation, not complexion. A lot of people get tanned in Poland. Most naturally dark-skinned people I know are of Jewish descent

figure: average Polish person is thinner than average American or English person. But I guess it's the diet: most Poles' diet is still based on stuff cooked at home from scratch, which is the healthiest; and fast food or ready-made dishes are only occasional.

facial features: I think it's the only distinct thing about Slavic people, but I can't tell what it is: something about cheekbones, superciliary archs and eyes. I can tell a Slav from non-Slav by facial features only. But I can't tell a Pole from a Czech by face.

OK, examples:
me: dark blonde hair, hazel eyes, pale skin. 158 cm (which is very short), always underweight
my mother: dark brown hair, dark complexion (but still not like a Mediterranean type), over 160cm, at my age also very skinny
my father: greyish blonde hair (linen shade), pale skin, hazel eyes, short, slim

And something about dress I observed, comparing people in UK to Polish standards:
Polish people wear more subdued colours, less patterned fabrics. Men usually don't wear bright colours, maybe apart from red in informal clothes. If you ever see a guy wearing pink, it is a shirt covered by a dark suit jacket. Polish women wear heavy make-up in the evening, but rarely during the day. The same with clothes displaying a lot - better for the evening. Obese Poles don't wear clothes that display and emphasize their rolls of fat - unlike people I saw in UK. Muffin tops in Poland are rare. Men wear shorts very rarely and only as something extremely informal. And Poles dress warmer than the British. In the weather, in which a Pole wears a jacket or a light coat, a Brit walks around in shorts and a T-shirt.

And to take all this stuff about bright colours, heavy make-up and displaying much: most of the girls I saw in the UK walking in the streets, shopping etc. looked like Polish girls going to a village disco. I had to fly to Brum to appreciate the Polish mainstream sense of fashion... and to appreciate how great is the mission Trinny and Susannah ;)

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

If you want to sound more natural Polish you can say: Obyś się smażył w piekle! (May you get burn in hell!). It's a fixed phrase.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]

Dark blonde/light brown hair (dyed black), hazel eyes, fair skin.
100 % Polish (as far as I know)