Life / Where have all the carollers in Poland gone? [9]

It was more common in PRL. In Warsaw too occasionally kids still come with a cardboard fold-out creche or wearing a Burger King crown and suchlike, but it seems far less common. I can see where kids aged 1˛12-18 couldn't care less about keeping up some 'quaint' and 'corny' (from a teen's perspective) custom, but to overlook the extra cash opportunity?!

Language / How to address a postcard to a family in Poland? [7]

It'd be more polite to write:
Sz. Państwo
Drawscy (if known their first names or initials) R. M. Drawscy

Language / Polish/Ukrainian words similarities [209]

Please don't forget the other word for tongue in Polish: ozór

Work / Advice on a job to spend a couple of months in poland [4]

Are there any opporutnites for summer-camp counsellors in Poland? In the States many uni students find such jobs or work in what is called the 'hospitality industry' (hotels, restaurants, tourst attractions, etc.) during the summer.

Life / What is Poland B as opposed to Poland A and the otherway-round. [45]

Merged:

Inequality growing in Poland

Gazeta.pl reported that over the decade 2000-2010 Poland's economy grew by 46%. However, the difference in GDP between the most dynamic and least dynamic region has grown. In other words the chasm between Poland B and Poladn A has grown. Thn article said pumping money into a depressed area rarely helps, pointing to the examples of East and West Germany and America's Appalachia.

wyborcza.pl/1,75248,13101936,Bogata_Polska_ucieka_od_biednej_Polski.html

News / What should Poland do to solve the population crisis? [101]

Merged: Demographic crisis in Poland deepens

Poland's demographic situation is dramatic and will get even worse around 2020 when the post-war baby boomers start to retire, warns economist Krzysztof Rybiński. Government proposals on family policy, including longer paid maternity leaves and higher subsidies to public nurseries and kindergartens, are going in the right direction, but were just a drop in the bucket, Rybinski maintains. "We can make some progress (with that) but what we need is a radical leap," he adds. Commenting on his words labour minister Władysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz pointed out that the fertility rates have been falling steadily since the 1990s. Now they reached levels that require firm action "and we are taking such actions," hre claimed. He encourages people of various political orientations to unite forces and act jointly disregarding divisions. The demographic situation cannot be changed in a matter of one parliamentary term.

serwis.papnews.com.pl/00400522/navsetting.nlx?shq=120

News / What should Poland do to solve the population crisis? [101]

How did they do it?

History / Destructions of Poland thoughout centuries [55]

Have swedish film-makers or novelists ever tackled the Deluge? Is it well known to today's Swedish popular culture?

News / Wigilia for homeless & needy [18]

A forte of the Kraków open-air wigilia is the no-questions-asked approach. Yes, ordinary townsfolk are more than welcome to enjoy the meal togetehr with the down and out. That means the indigent are not lumped together and fed in some homeless shelter but get to socialise with people from all over the country -- homeless, poor, lonely, recently released exconvicts or whatever. The no questions-asked approach is very good in my view. The alternative would be to have people bring cetficates or tickets or other idnetification and then volunteers would be needed to check them off and handle the red tape. That would surely not be in the the spirit of Christmas sharing.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

KONIUSZY: equerry, formerly a royal official in charge of the king's horses. No coat of arms accompanies the Koniuszy surname. The closest is Koniuski, which might have originated as a patronymic tag for the koniuszy's son. The noble Koniuski line were entitled to identify with the heraldic device Junosza.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

Jabłoński is a name shared both by ethnic Poels and Polish Jews. Actually most any Polish name has been used by Jews at some point, however, some of the more popular ones include:

Czarnecki = Schwartz
Białek = Weiß
Zieliński = Grün
Góra = Berg
Gruszecki = Birnbaum
Złoty = Gold
Srebro = Silber
Mały = Klein
Duży = Groß

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

PAWLUKIEWCZ: This nickname-turned surname might have emerged as a double patronymic. Pawel's son was called Pawluk in the eastern borderlands (Pawlak in the Polish heartland). When said Pawluk himself fathered a son, villagers tacked on another common patronymic ending: -wicz. So Pawlukiewicz would have denoted the grandson of Pawel.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

The noble line of the Plewa family used the £ukocz coat of arms. There were no gentry amongst the bearers of the £ącz surname.

Kloske is used by about 100 people in Poalnd -- the biggest pockets being in the Opole and Gdańsk regions. This is a typical Germanised version of such Polish surnames as Kłosek, Kłosko, Kłoski and similar. They come from the Polish word kłos (ear of grain).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

DowntonTart
Kloske is used by about 100 people in Poland -- the biggest pockets being in the Opole and Gdańsk regions. This is a typical Germanised version of such Polish surnames as Kłosek, Kłosko, Kłoski and similar. They come from the Polish word kłos (ear of grain).

Life / Joanna (Asia) Name days? [9]

Asia is short for Joasia which definitely is derived from Joanna. English also has hypocoristic forms that at first glance may not seem related to the original: eg: Peggy < Margaret, Bill < WIlliam, Ned < Edward.

Genealogy / Seeking Czarniecki family members and ancestors from Lublin, also Margiewicz, Danilowicz and Andrulewicz [77]

ŻEGLICKI: This is a typical toponymic tag from the village of Żeglice in Subcarpathia (which includes the Rzeszów area).

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

STAŃCZAK - no coat of arms

SZCZUCKI - three noble lines: Pobóg, Ślepowron and Trzaska.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

There were two noble lines amongst the bearers of the simialr Stańczyk surname belonging to the Nałęcz and Trąby clans, but none amongst thsoe seplling their surname Stańczak.

Beware of online heraldry mills who'll do anything not to lose a potential customer and can come up with a heraldic device for most any surname name.

Genealogy / Seeking Czarniecki family members and ancestors from Lublin, also Margiewicz, Danilowicz and Andrulewicz [77]

Szlachta (gentry) clans to which the noble lines of the following surname bearers belonged:
Czerniecki = Korab
Czarniecki = £odzia.
Czarnecki = Leliwa, Lis, £odzia, Pobóg, Prus I, Prus III, Tępa podkowa and an own-name clan/armorial Czarnecki
Czernecki = none
Czernicki = Mogiła, Szeliga, own-name Czernicki
NOTE: Stars appearing in Polish coats of arms are exclusively six-pointed (there are no five-pointed ones) and had nothing to do with Jewishness.

Genealogy / Need help with the origins of the surname von Czapiewski [21]

CZAPEWSKI: probably a toponymic tag from Czapiewice in Pomerania. Some 4,000 Czapiewski's in Poland, about 3,000 of whom live in the Gdańsk and Bydgoszcz areas of northern Poland.

CZAPIEWSKI: correcting typo

Genealogy / Polish: Gusepa Mabersko [3]

Polish for Josephine is Józefa or Józefina. Your version is somewhat similar to the Italian Giuseppina. The Mabersko surname cannot be found in Poland.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

PONIEWOZIK: possibly from Old Polish verb ponieważyć (to insult, slight, offend, slander) - in modern Polish znieważyć. Possibly a nick given to someone known for insulting others. A toponmyic source could be the town of Poniewież (now in Lithuania and called Panevezys in Lithuanian)..

Over 500 people currently use this surname in Poland, about 400 of them in the Lublin region.

For more information on the Poniewozik family heritage please contact me.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

DEWICKI: Also spelt Dewidzki, variant form of Dawidzki, patronymic nick from the first name Dawid (David) meaning 'son of David'; common English equivalent Davison.

Genealogy / Falkenberg, Bartel or Jeck . Originally from Godow, Radom. [2]

All three names are foiund in today's Poland but noine are of Polish origin. They are German in origin but possibly also appearing in YIddish.

FALKENBERG: Falcon Hill
BARTEL: derived from Bartholomew, the German word bärtig (bearded) or the noun Barte (broad axe).
JECK: short form of German first name Jekel originally dervied from Jacob.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

RBlaze
B£AZIŃSKI/B£ASZCZYŃSKI: both surnames exist in Poland and both were derived from the first name Błażej (Blaise). They might have originated as patronymic nicks to indicate "the son of Błażej" or to identify someone as an inhabitant of Błaziny or Błaszki.(Blaiseville).

jessieeleighk
KO£ODZIEJEK: diminutive of kołodziej (wheelwright, craftsman who made wagon wheels for a living); Kołodziejek can mean ólittle wheelwright' and refer to the wheelwright's son or indicate his helper or apprentice.

More common equivalents are Kołodziejczak and Kołodziejczyk.

Language / Does Polish have a plural of "You"? [51]

Middle English had ye as in 'God rest ye merry gentlemen.' Why the Anglos got rid of it, who knows?! And one is a gender neutral third person sing. as in: 'One should mind one's manners.'

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

WÓJCIK: Diminutive of wójt (village mayor) most likely serving as a patronymic nick (the mayor's boy)
ZIELIŃSKI: Probably a toponmyic tag to identify an inhabitant of Zielina (Greenville); numerous coats of arms
MARKIEWICZ: A typical patronymic nick derived from first name Marek (Mark) and meaning "son of Mark" or Marcusson; numerous coats of arms