My next travel destination via conversation is a country in central Europe, whose capital is Warsaw. Do you know which country this is? Poland! Known for incredible food such as dumplings called pierogi and cabbage roles called gołąbki, your tastebuds will be met with savory foods made with love.
I first studied Poland in 7th grade, and I remember giving a speech about it to my history class. Then, about 10 years ago, I became friends with a woman from Poland in a Bible study who I knew as Maggie; in Poland, she is known as Magda or Magdalena-such a beautiful name! She overflows with joy, ambition and kindness. Maggie and her sister hosted a New Years’ Eve event one year and cooked many
delicious Polish dishes. The cabbage roles were my favorite. I always enjoyed my conversations with Maggie and left encouraged. She cares deeply about others and joyfully lives life with passion for loving others with the love of Christ and helping people be healthy through yoga.
A couple of years ago, I met another sister-in-Christ from Poland in a prayer class at church. She is also an encourager with a servant heart who loves to cook and always brings over a treat and tea to share when she visits. She delights in sharing what she has with others and sending words of encouragement. I was thankful to get to sit down with her recently and learn
more about her life and about her home country. My friend, Marysia, is from Lublin, Poland. She told me that in her home country, women are independent and bold. This explains the beautiful ambition in my friends, Maggie and Marysia. :)
I am excited to share with you what I have learned from my friends, and I hope you will get a glimpse into the culture of Poland and into these beautiful hearts that have inspired me in my journey of faith. Thank you to Maggie and Marysia for allowing me to share a part of their journeys.
Maggie described Poland as a country with a beautiful, diverse landscape. In the northern part of Poland, there are many lakes as well as the Baltyk Sea bordering Poland to the north.
In the center of Poland, it is flat with a few rolling hills. In contrast, southern Poland is mountainous. There are nine different mountain ranges in southern Poland, including the Karpaty, Sudety and Tatry Mountains to name a few. In this picture, Maggie is on a famous hiking trail in the Tatry Mountains, near the Koscielisko Hills.
Poland is also known for its many castles, historical monuments, and architectural old city towns that Maggie says are “truly a beautiful piece of Polish heritage.” There were many kings and queens ruling Poland, starting from the year 966, when queen Dobrawa and Polish prince Mieszko 1st married. She shared that Polish history is full of wars, revolutions and crusades. November 11th marks an important day for Poland. On November 11, 1918, Poland gained its independence after 123 years of being under control of Germany, Austria and Russia.
Maggie wrote about several traditions surrounding the holidays, especially surrounding Christmas Eve. She said
that there are 12 traditional dishes prepared for Christmas Eve. One of these is polish dumplings, in which they hide coins as a symbol of fertility and provision for the next year. In addition to the feast of traditional Polish dishes, they share a holy communion together. They pray, rea
d about Jesus' birth, sing carols and attend mass at midnight.
MAKOWIEC is another traditional Christmas Eve favorite in Poland. It is poppy seed cake and is in the picture to the right.
Marysia also reminisced about Polish traditions from her childhood:
The day that Marysia came to visit my home, she told me that it was her brother’s “name day,” or “Imieniny,” coming up. She explained that in Poland, each day of the calendar has a list of names, and when it is your assigned name day you get to celebrate! How do they celebrate? When it is your name day, people bring you flowers and gifts. There is cake and food, and children take chocolate and candy to school for their name day.
Marysia remembers going to the store each day as was tradition to get fresh food. The grocery store and butcher were close to their home. One of her favorite memories was picking up warm, fresh bread to eat as she walked home. There was also a market where farmers would sell freshly harvested produce and flowers. Families often had fresh flowers displayed in their homes throughout the year from the market.