Opłatki Tradition

-
My earliest memories of Christmas Eve & Christmas Day were spent around this table in Stamford, CT. I'm on the right (wearing suspenders) being held by my Aunt Mary. Christmas Eve was a fast day prior to a change in Canon Law in 1983 and my devout Grandmother (seated center) took it to extremes. There was no bread, dairy and certainly no meat. Dinner was fish and beet soup. At the time I liked neither so it went out with my cousins to fill up on ice cream sodas at a nearby drug store lunch counter. My Grandmother would recite prayers in Polish before the meal and even though I didn't understand, I would catch our names being mentioned. She prayed for all of us and those who had pass. As a kid I would try to make my cousin laugh during the prayer which in retrospect was not very respectful. I guess I needed the prayer most of all.

My favorite tradition from this meal is one we have continued into the present day. Sharing Opłatk (Christmas wafer) with friends and family is a central European Christian Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithiania and some parts of Slovakia on Christmas Eve.

We would walk around the table with a piece of wafer and exchange a piece with everyone wishing them good will,health and joy in the coming year. This year (2017) I received a Christmas Card from my cousin in South Carolina with some Opłatki packaged inside. In this photo from 1951 she is standing on my right, The tradition continues.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all of you.

Christmas Eve - 1951

Opłatki is unleavened bread pressed into a wafer. It is packaged in a colorful envelope.
The wafer is embossed with a a religious scene usually one like this.

 www.poltrack.net

Location: Stamford, CT, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

I'd like to hear from you

Popular posts from this blog

Why can't I find lyrics to "Hupaj Siupaj"?

-
Image
UPDATE (June 21, 2016) - I found the words! I have found a book called Treasured Polish Songs which contains the word to "Our Company" the song that most of us know as Hupaj Siupaj. The book is available at Amazon . Nine years ago after a fruitless search I posted a request on my blog. Some of the comments pointed me in the right direction. I'm including the words but STRONGLY suggest you buy the book, it has all the Christmas Songs and so much more. Page 104 - Treasured Polish Songs Page 105
Read more

Snow Squall

-
Image
  ALERT! At 3:00 PM I received a text alert on my phone about a a snow squall. I didn't pay much attention because these things are only a problem if you are on the road.  I remember a time when I was working in Acton, MA, I left work in the afternoon traveling along Route 119. The sun was out and the roads were clear. All at once the snow came. Visibility was down to nothing, the roads became slick. I creeped along following the tracks of the car in front of me. Thankfully I am now retired, so I can look out at the chaos without being part of the story. It is eerie how fast this came on, One minute the sun was out and then it was a white out. The birds didn't care, they are tough. Fifteen minutes later the sun returned. I'll be happy when Spring is here.
Read more

Caturday (Analog Edition)

-
Image
Saturday is Caturday Saturday is Caturday , a time to post photos and videos of our feline companions. While reviewing some of my scanned slides and negatives I found this purr-fect collection to share. Our old friend Mojo didn't mind being dressed up. He was a gentle soul who could actually play catch with corks We had a black and white cat when we lived in an apartment in 1973. This cat was hit by a car and I now suspect he suffered from congenital sensorineural deafness which is common with blue eyed white cats. In the Navy I was stationed in California. I spotted this guy in a flower bed. In the 1960s my sister found a kitten which she called Andrew, Eventually that became Fat Andrew. Fat Andrew wasn't fat she was pregnant. Like all cats she did her best to disrupt any desktop activity I was involved with. In this photo I was working on a Linocut  for a Christmas card. My mom had a Siamese she named Abigail, a beautiful creature with deadly claws
Read more