Opłatki Tradition

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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

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