Joined: May 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 1,470 Location: L'Etoile du Nord
Polish Christmas Quiz « Thread Started on Dec 8, 2008, 2:25am »
Have some fun finding out how much you know about Polish Christmas traditions:
1. At what time on the 24th December do the Polish eat their special festive meal?
The same time as usual: at 7 p.m. Noon When the lady of the house calls them When the first star appears in the sky
2. How do you wish someone a Happy Christmas in Polish?
Poniedzialek Wesolych Swiat Co Slychac Dziekuje
3. What do the members of the family do before they begin to eat?
They walk three times counterclockwise around the table They open the presents under the tree They share a piece of Christmas wafer They sing a traditional Christmas song
4. Which seafood dish is traditionally eaten in Poland on Christmas Eve?
Salt Cod Oysters Carp Salmon
5. What do Poles drink traditionally with their Christmas Eve meal?
Vodka Mineral water Tea Kompot
6. What are the main ingredients of Polish Christmas soup?
Cabbage and sausages Carrot and coriander Split peas, leeks and bacon Red beetroot and uszki
7. What kind of cake is traditionally eaten at Christmas in Poland?
Fruit Cake Poppyseed Cake Black Forest Gateau Cheesecake
8. The tablecloth for the Wigilia meal is always what color?
white green red blue
9. What is placed beneath the tablecloth during Wigilia?
hay a piece of wafer a coin a prayer
10. What do Polish people do after the traditional meal?
They sing traditional songs The watch the Polish President's speech on TV They play traditional games They go to bed
I scored 8 out of 10 - due in part to what I have learned on this forum.
Although I am curious about one of the answers I got wrong since I based it on what I remembered seeing in one of Bonobo's photos...
Have some fun finding out how much you know about Polish Christmas traditions:
1. At what time on the 24th December do the Polish eat their special festive meal?
The same time as usual: at 7 p.m. Noon When the lady of the house calls them When the first star appears in the sky
2. How do you wish someone a Happy Christmas in Polish?
Poniedzialek Wesolych Swiat Co Slychac Dziekuje
3. What do the members of the family do before they begin to eat?
They walk three times counterclockwise around the table They open the presents under the tree They share a piece of Christmas wafer They sing a traditional Christmas song
4. Which seafood dish is traditionally eaten in Poland on Christmas Eve?
Salt Cod Oysters Carp Salmon
5. What do Poles drink traditionally with their Christmas Eve meal?
Vodka Mineral water Tea Kompot
6. What are the main ingredients of Polish Christmas soup?
Cabbage and sausages Carrot and coriander Split peas, leeks and bacon Red beetroot and uszki
7. What kind of cake is traditionally eaten at Christmas in Poland?
Fruit Cake Poppyseed Cake Black Forest Gateau Cheesecake
8. The tablecloth for the Wigilia meal is always what color?
white green red blue
9. What is placed beneath the tablecloth during Wigilia?
hay a piece of wafer a coin a prayer
10. What do Polish people do after the traditional meal?
They sing traditional songs The watch the Polish President's speech on TV They play traditional games They go to bed
I scored 8 out of 10 - due in part to what I have learned on this forum.
Although I am curious about one of the answers I got wrong since I based it on what I remembered seeing in one of Bonobo's photos...
which did you get wrong? you may PM me or we can wait a while till the answer presents itself here.
the only one i am not sure of is 5. i don't recall ever having anything special to drink with the meal. all the listed items are kind of standard drinks at dinner. but afterwards it was always one of those times when coffee would be served. a pretty rear occasion. partially it was due the fact that one of our family's traditional courses has always been poppy seed noodles. one needs coffee after those.
also, no.3 we always had the oldest read the bible's christmas story. the only time i ever recall seeing a bible in PL outside of the church.
which did you get wrong? you may PM me or we can wait a while till the answer presents itself here.
#8 and one other. Hopefully this is close enough to explain:
Pierwszy był nieprawidłowy. Wy rzeczywiście czekają na gwiazdę?
We'll give Jeanne, Mary, and Mike one more day if they want to try. I am sure that Tufta would easily ace it since he is a "normal Pole".
I am not sure if the idea of being a nornal Pole embraces special predilection towards boredome or routine
However, if your remember a song to the poem by Jacek Kaczmarski entitled 'Wigilia na Syberii' or 'Christmas Eve supper in Siberia' - one verse was 'nie bedzie tylko gwiazdy na niebie = only the star in the sky will be missing'. That's the one!
Children are waiting for the first star to appear, weather permitting, so sthe supper may start. The start symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem which led the magi to the place of birth of Christ.
The white tablecloth symbolizes the diapers of the little Christ, while the hay under the tablecloth stands for the hay the chld was lying on.
I am not sure if the idea of being a nornal Pole embraces special predilection towards boredome or routine
However, if your remember a song to the poem by Jacek Kaczmarski entitled 'Wigilia na Syberii' or 'Christmas Eve supper in Siberia' - one verse was 'nie bedzie tylko gwiazdy na niebie = only the star in the sky will be missing'. That's the one!
Children are waiting for the first star to appear, weather permitting, so sthe supper may start. The start symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem which led the magi to the place of birth of Christ.
The white tablecloth symbolizes the diapers of the little Christ, while the hay under the tablecloth stands for the hay the chld was lying on.
We are not normal!!! We are no normal!!!
We ignore stars in the sky because krakow is so polluted that stars are invisible!!!!
We don`t use white tablecloth because we don`t want to eat on symbolic diapers!!!!
We don`t put hay under the tablecloth because it seems littering to me!!!
Out of sheer practicality we don`t put an extra plate for an accidental comer because there is no room for it on the table and if one comes, we will always be able to get one from the kitchen!!!
And they never come so why should I take pains and keep a useless plate!!!!
That`s the truth about our Christmas!!!!!
Now you can shoot me for not being Polish enough!!!
But, how many of you keep fish in the bathtub, HUH???????
Gigi, never ever make a judgment based on what I and my family do! We are not normal Poles! hahahahaha
and i am an american hmmm
Aren`t you?? I have always thought that you had spent so many years in US that you started thinking in American way, lost true connection with Poland, and even forgot a lot of the language too.
But, how many of you keep fish in the bathtub, HUH???????
Not me - but my sister's friend had a penguin in hers! Apparently her young child "borrowed" one from the local zoo, stuck it into his backpack, and brought it home for a bath in their tub. Luckily the zoo has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy and all was forgiven!
Thanks, I'd love to try but honestly know very little on this....soooooo I will just wait for the answers and learn.
Okay...here are the "official" answers, although as we are learning the actual traditions may vary for "normal" Poles, "abnormal" Poles, and Poles who live in America:
1. At what time on the 24th December do the Polish eat their special festive meal?
When the first star appears in the sky
2. How do you wish someone a Happy Christmas in Polish?
Wesolych Swiat
3. What do the members of the family do before they begin to eat?
They share a piece of Christmas wafer
4. Which seafood dish is traditionally eaten in Poland on Christmas Eve?
Carp
5. What do Poles drink traditionally with their Christmas Eve meal?
Kompot
6. What are the main ingredients of Polish Christmas soup?
Red beetroot and uszki
7. What kind of cake is traditionally eaten at Christmas in Poland?
Poppyseed Cake
8. The tablecloth for the Wigilia meal is always what color?
white
9. What is placed beneath the tablecloth during Wigilia?
hay
10. What do Polish people do after the traditional meal?
Joined: May 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 2,813 Location: Warszawa
Re: Polish Christmas Quiz « Reply #19 on Dec 10, 2008, 8:57am »
All perfect now
This one may be misleading though
5. What do Poles drink traditionally with their Christmas Eve meal?
Kompot
This special kompot wigilijny or Christmas Eve compote is icooked on dried plums. The necessary additions are vanilla sugar, fresh lemon juice, cinnamomum, and cloves. I mean that's the routine recipe, but as Gigi has wisely pointed out we are here (world) to experiment too. In my family this kind of kompot is cooked and drunk just once a year. The 'ordinary' kompot is popular in Poland too, the typical one is cooked on rhubarb and apples. Virtually all fruit may be and are used to prepare kompot - my favourite drink. I mean soft-drink Strawberries, pears, cherries, you name it and I prepare it
Now, what's that? Am I talking the boring kitchen stuff??
Re: Polish Christmas Quiz « Reply #21 on Dec 10, 2008, 12:37pm »
Drat! I waited too long to read this post...sorry! But I did attempt the anwers before reading everyone's responses and I'm proud to say I only got numbers 5 and 7 wrong, mostly due to educated guesses and Bonobo tutelage!
Don't fret so, Bonobo, I think they were just guidelines, not hard and fast holiday rules...
Oh, I see.
Quote:
Besides, it is much more interesting to combine the old traditions with personal ones so that they are meaningful to your family.
Not only meaningful. Practical, primarily.
Quote:
Not me - but my sister's friend had a penguin in hers! Apparently her young child "borrowed" one from the local zoo, stuck it into his backpack, and brought it home for a bath in their tub. Luckily the zoo has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy and all was forgiven!
A penguin instead of turkey for Christmas Eve supper? Hmm, those Americans....
Drat! I waited too long to read this post...sorry! But I did attempt the anwers before reading everyone's responses and I'm proud to say I only got numbers 5 and 7 wrong, mostly due to educated guesses and Bonobo tutelage!
So all three Polish Americans who took the quiz scored 8 out of 10. The average score is 5 out of 10. Which of course means that we are...ahem...above average!
So all three Polish Americans who took the quiz scored 8 out of 10. The average score is 5 out of 10. Which of course means that we are...ahem...above average!
I am really sorry for misleading you with my abtraditional non-typically Polish photos, this red tablecloth, etc etc.
If not for that, you would have scored 9 or even 10!!!
I am going to shoot myself if you don`t want to do it.
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