Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus - a religious greeting?

Does anyone still use this religious greeting in Poland? When would it be used? For example, would you say this if you were visiting someone's house and you knew they were very religious? Would you use it as a general greeting? Would you use it if you were going to talk to a priest? I'm trying to figure out the circumstances when this would be used, if at all these days.

no, but I don't know anyone very very religious.


no


As customer I should and yes as an electrician to repair chandeliers I say Dzień Dobry.

Even simpler and not requiring a separate response is: Szczęść Boże (literally: May God grant you happiness) - rough equivalent of God speed.
The response to Szczęść Boże is the same: Szczęść Boże. This is always used when greeting priests, friars and nuns.
One would use this greeting with only those laypersons who are Catholic or parish activists as per the custom in a givern communtiy.

such greeting is fine when meeting priest or a nun
mind you, in casual situations people often shorten it to just 'niech będzie pochwalony'
using this to greet someone other than priest or nun would be strange

i hear this spoken to priests all the time. still very common.

and creepy.

Yes, and even in America it is used. There are many priests coming from Poland and it is used here also.

Niech bedzie pochwalony........is still used when greeting old people in villages or coming inside their houses.
This is closely related to the old Polish proverb: 'Gosc w domu, Bog w domu' - (Guest in your house, God in your house). All priests would use it when they enter your house.

And as an aside - I always use the form of 'plural you' (wy) when I speak to older people.

I would just stop at 'niech będzie pochwa' :) :) It's a pleasant short form :)

Sth akin to the thread words would be said in first footing in Scotland as a sign of welcoming people.

There should be more on the work of Jesus at Xmas. Putting things on tv would likely get more people interested in the Bible :)

WHOA... yeah. Very pleasant indeed. "Let there be vag**a." :]


Communist party members used to adress each other using this form so I'd be careful with that if I were you.

When it comes to 'wy', (plural you) I would never even consider using anything else with a proviso that this is only to the older members of the community. I use it very frequently in the centre of Krakow to older people and nobody bats an eyelid.

It does NOT come from the Communist party era - it comes from the time when Poland had KINGS.

It's true, it doesn't come from the communist party era, but still it was used frequently in those days. It CAN be taken as a reference to the communism. I'm not saying that it's wrong to use it, I just want to point out that there is a possibility of misinterpreting the speaker's intentions.

I'd personally never use "wy". For me it sounds awkward and archaic.


You can use 'Daj Boże' as well.

Response for Szczęść Boże is Daj Panie Boże.

I use Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus when I met a priest.

>>>It's true, it doesn't come from the communist party era, but still it was used frequently in those days.
....Did you actually live in Poland during the Communist Era?
Where and when did you hear such as greeting, when Members of the Communist Party were forbidden to be Catholic and go to church???

I was talking about the 'plural you'.

Here are some examples of what I'm talking about. It was an 'official' way of adressing people :)

Let's not forget that 'Szczęść Boże' is a greeting widely used by Silesian coalminers. It is emblazoned in large lettering at the entrance to Polish collieries. Maybe it has been reinforced by the German 'Gruß Gott'.

I have only heard old people (those in their 70-80s) saying it when they enter a house. Men use to take off their hats in such case. It's followed by usual Polish greeting of 'Dzień dobry'.

When the Paetz scandal broke people were suggesting it should be changed to 'pochylony'...

Not only. In Krakow it is also widely used by RC people.

Sorry, but if someone greated me this way I'd probably laugh my head off. But then, I'm not very religious.

"Pochwalony!" comes of course from the verb "(po-)chwilać" meaning "to incline oneself towards someone"

I've encountered it, naturally, but have never used it as it might cause as much laughter in the wrong context as a usual, polite response in the right one, such as in a small village, especially during Holy Week/Christmas etc...

Really?The problem with your theory is that there is no verb "(po-)chwilać" in Polish.You just can't stop making fool out of yourself,can you?

Whoooopsidaisy! Here I go again, folksLOL "pochwalony" > "(po-)chwalić", NOT the form I wrote!!!!

Really sorry about that. Gotta check my stuff before I click^^^

Practice makes perfect, Grubas! Incidentally, the phrase is "to make A fool out of oneself", buddy.

Presume that was just a typo:-))))

Not if you are saying it about someone else.
BTW,even the Queen of England has stopped using *one* as being a bit archaic and pompous sounding :)

You can safely use Niech Będzie Pochwalony toward older people in villages, eastern Poland. This would be advantageous when asking for directions, water, permission to camp on their property; it would inform you are catholic and they could expect proper to Catholics behavior from you. Particularly useful addressing older and poor. Flashing a small picture of St. Mary or other saint or polish pope from within your wallet would get you even further. If you're not catholic - didn't grew up as one - don't use it - your phony manners would be soon discovered.

I wouldn't try it with anyone below 70 and even then you might just get a funny look. "Dzień dobry" is much safer.

Agreed, Strzyga!

I too posted yesterday that I'd NEVER use this expression with anyone, unless again the individual happened to be a small-town senior and the time of year necessitated such a greeting. No, it doesn't exactly "trip off the tongue" like Dzień dobry etc.., (...nor does the response "Szczęść Boże!", not that I come into daily contact with Silesian coal miners:-))

Several years ago around Easter time, my wife and I were in Greenpoint, Bklyn. My wife speaks no Polish, except for the occasional "Cześć!" and some basic greetings which I taught her. My brain was still circuited to hearing only "Wesołych Świąt!" as generic "Happy Holidays!" for whatever the religious occasion. I was also circuited to respond in kind with a polite "Dziękuję, nawzajem!" Therefore, when some much older woman, thinking we were Poles, rattled off a "Mokrego Śmygusa Dyngusa!", I was momentarily thrown for a loop and had to think of how to reply. I ended up just smiling, saying "Również!" and walking on.

I'd never use this greeting to anyone but a priest, and even then not on a chance meeting. If you were to use it to someone not fanatically religious, you would certainly mark yourself as such.

Interesting response, Ralph. Thanks much!

Not always aware of the subtleties in certain Polish greetings:-)

If you wanted to answer Grubas with a proverb, Lyzko, the right proverb here would be:
Przyganiał kocioł garnkowi!
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I remember that we used to greet a priest or a nun that way when I was a child. The answer was: Na wieki wieków!

Couldn't have hit the nail on the head more accurately, Ziemowit!