Our Wigilia

Wigilia is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland, held on December 24. We were ecstatic to have the Jacobsons and Chelsea join us in celebration as we attempted our very own Polish Wigilia!

The Opłatek
We began with the breaking of the opłatek. Before dinner, each of us greeted the others individually and offered a piece of our opłatek along with warm wishes for the season and year to come.

The Twelve Dishes
Twelve different dishes were served symbolizing the Twelve Apostles, many of which were traditional Polish Christmas recipes or other Polish favorites. A true Polish Wigilia is meatless aside from the fish; however we strayed a little from this rule.

1/ Barszcz czerwony z uszkami (Red borscht with dumplings)

2/ Zupa grzybowa (Mushroom soup)

3/ Kasza z grzybami (Buckwheat with mushrooms)

4/ Kapusta z fasolą (Sauerkraut with white beans)

5/ Green beans

6/ Pierogi (Polish dumplings)

7/ Gołąbki (Cabbage rolls with minced meat)

8/ Roasted duck

9/ Pan-fried carp

10/ Piernik (Chocolate and nut-covered gingerbread)

11/ Makowiec (Poppy seed rolled cake)

12/ Mixed Christmas cookies

The Carp

Carp is the main event at Wigilia. Bryan dutifully went out to the market early on Wednesday morning to fetch the fish, only to find that there were no fish filets anywhere. He passed tens of Poles clutching large plastic bags filled with water that had one or two large carp swimming in circles, and we learned that Poles generally keep the carp in the bathtub until meal preparation time, making sure to chop its head before the kids give it a name.

Emily and Chelsea had a heck of a time dealing with said fish, which Bryan mercifully brought back dead and headless. After chopping the tail, plucking scales, cutting it down the middle, and cleaning it out a bit, it was ready for the frypan. It was a ton of work but ended up being pretty delicious!

The Pasterka

Christmas Eve ended with Pasterka, the Midnight Mass. The tradition commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem and their paying of respect and bearing witness to the new born Messiah. We traveled to our English-speaking parish to attend Mass and celebrate Christ's birth together with other ex-pats from across the city.

The only thing missing from our Wigilia was a nativity scene, which we had fruitlessly sought in the days leading up to our dinner. It was a point of sadness until at Pasterka Father Wiesław announced that he had purchased a small Christ-in-the-manger figurine for each person at the service! At the same time that we celebrated Christ coming into the world, Emily & Bryan had not one but two nativity Baby Jesuses come to their apartment. It was, in short, a Christmas miracle!

We hope that you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and enjoy the rest of the season! Joy to the World!

Preparing for Christmas: Our Polish Advent

We cannot believe tomorrow is Wigilia (Christmas Eve)! Chelsea is here in our living room from London, and the Jacobsons arrive tomorrow afternoon. Emily & Bryan have been preparing all Advent for a true Polish Christmas, for our visits of our family and friend, and, above all else, for the arrival of Christ our Salvation into the world!  It's been a wonderful Advent and it will only get better with the 12 joyful days of Christmas. We hope that Advent has been a blessing to your family, too!

Concerts & Shows

Konzerthaus, Berlin

We saw the Konzerthausorchester in Berlin play Bach's Mass in B Minor and it was wonderful! After intermission we snagged one of the programs so I could follow along with the parts of the Order of the Mass in Latin which made it spiritual, too. Loved it.

Also, our weekend trip to Stockholm coincided with the Feast of St. Lucia, which is a hugely popular celebration in Scandinavia. In the 4th century St. Lucia brought light to darkness on what used to be the longest and darkest day of the year; today, St. Lucia parades into concerts across the city with candles and sings carols.

St. Lucia at Skansen, Stockholm

Christmas Markets

Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market, Berlin

In Berlin, every time we turned the corner we found popular and fun Christmas markets to explore. The most picturesque (and crowded) was in the brilliantly illuminated Gendarmenmarkt. We shared hot waffles and joined others at a long communal table under a tent to enjoy a Weissbier. We also bought a handmade ceramic Advent wreath painted with holly - our first couple Christmas decoration!

In Stockholm's Old Town we added to our collection a sprig of true mistletoe and Sven, the Swedish Christmas gnome.

Christmas Market in Gamla Stan, Stockholm

We also shared grzaniec (hot wine) and miód (hot mead) with friends at Warsaw's Christmas Market, in the shadow of the National Stadium (built for the Euro 2012 soccer competition).

Christmas Market at National Stadium, Warsaw

Pilgrimage

Entrance to Jasna Góra Monastery, Częstochowa

We made our first pilgrimage as a married couple on the Third Saturday of Advent. 

Jasna Góra Monastery is the home to the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, a famous image with great historical meaning for Poles. This small Polish town hosts 4-5 million visitors each year from more than 80 countries, making Jasna Góra one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in a country of many pilgrimage sites. It was inspiring to see the constant stream of faithful passing through the chapel and attending the frequent Mass services, and we joined them in the chapels and in Polish prayers.

Roraty

This seasonal Polish Mass was a new experience for us. Each weekday during Advent, Polish churches hold a Mass early in the morning as a vigil for the sunrise, reflecting our awaiting the arrival of Christ. People bring candles into the Mass, which begins in darkness. By the time Mass ends, the sun has risen and you exit into sunlight.

Roraty Sunrise Vigil Mass

We naively thought "Oh, Monday morning, 6:45am, we'll probably see a handful of people in the pews but that's it". How surprised we were when it was so crowded that we ended up standing in the back with twenty or so Poles who couldn't find space in the pews! This country is amazing (and the service was beautiful, too!).

And finally... we have a choinka! (Christmas tree). Bryan had to carry it home on the tram :)

Wesołych Swiąt (Merry Christmas) to all!

Love, Emily & Bryan

Fascinating Polish Politics (actually making international news!)

So if you've been paying attention to the news out of Europe over the past couple of months, you may have noticed more attention being given to the political climate in Poland, and for good reason. In September the Polish parliamentary elections resulted in a sweeping victory for Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice), colloquially known as PiS (pronounced like PEACE). PiS is Poland's national conservative party, and last held a majority from 2005-2007. It now holds the largest plurality in both houses of Parliament, as well as the position of Prime Minister and President.

Prime Minister Beata Szydło (PiS) and PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski

The victory of the national conservative PiS is largely the result of Poles tiring of the incumbent liberal democratic party, despite the fact that Poland's economy is doing very well (the only EU state not greatly affected by the 2008 recession) and the country has become much more important on the international stage in recent years, especially being so close to Russia.

The biggest news so far following the election has been the public demonstrations in Warsaw. Last Saturday, 50,000 Poles marched in demonstration against the policies of PiS, and on Sunday another 30,000 marched in favor of PiS. So what has caused all of this activity?

In political terms, PiS is pushing what many have called an illiberal democracy, similar to what has already happened in Hungary. This means that while democratic process is still the method of choosing the government, the elected party nevertheless pushes for a restriction of certain liberties, such as freedom of speech, press, religion, etc. For example, since being elected to a majority, PiS has started censoring certain artistic productions (claiming that a play was "pornographic") and threatened to limit the publication of certain newspapers. The biggest affront has been that PiS has (perhaps illegally) denied the appointment of liberal supreme court justices, and instead tried to replace them with conservative justices who would uphold PiS's policy changes. PiS's policies have also been seen as violently anti-refugee and somewhat xenophobic, causing backlash against both Muslims and Jews.

None of this is to say that Poland has become dangerous or violent or extreme or anything of the sort. Our daily lives and the daily lives of most have not changed a bit. And the demonstrations last weekend prove that the population is aware of these changes and is willing to stand up and fight for their liberal democracy. It should be noted that the last time PiS was in the majority (beginning in 2005), popular protest forced them to call early elections and they were subsequently ousted from the majority. So it will be very interesting to see how this situation unfolds, and whether Poland's relationships with the US or the EU change at all, and just what the Polish people will do about it.

We'll keep you posted, of course!

City of Lights - Iluminacja Świąteczna w Warszawie 2015

It's wintertime! And because Warsaw is located rather far north (in longitude it falls between Edmonton and Calgary in Canada, just south of Juneau, Alaska) the sun sets between 3:00 and 4:00PM each day in December. Truth be told, most nights we're tempted to crawl into bed around 7:00PM since it has been dark for so long at that point. But not so fast. "Two can play at that game," says Warsaw. From the streets and alleys to the top of the skyscrapers, this city has truly become a City of Lights. Walking around at night (or even at 4:30PM) feels a little bit like walking during the day and it is gorgeous. Bryan and I went for a stroll around this time on Saturday afternoon, hoping to catch sight of some of the fancy Christmas lights we've seen twisted around lightposts and over storefronts (but never lit) in the Old Town.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves in a medium-sized crowd of people, that, as we walked north on Warsaw's main shopping street (Nowy Świat) on its "Royal Route", grew to a large-sized crowd.

That then grew into an giant-sized crowd, with people from all walks of life (heavy on kids) walking calmly in the same direction. You can imagine how weird a sensation that was for us, some neck tingles and a lot of looking over our shoulders. We had our suspicions (and curiosity to boot!) so we continued on to Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) with what felt like the rest of Warsaw's residential population.

Aside from the usual yellow glow from the streetlights, all was dark until we passed the Presidential Palace, glowing blue and purple, with a Polish red-and-white Christmas tree in the yard (very festive).

  

We finally congregated around a stage (everything's a production) and watched a few small acts, including elves and a choir, until after chanting (the kids again) for St. Nick ("Mikołaj! Mi-ko-łaj!), Santa strolled onto the scene. Then more music, until the show reached its peak and all the lights in the city were illuminated at once, to cheers and confetti in what was now a roaring crowd!

What a sight! We made our way over to the Rynek (Market Square) where a final surprise awaited us - another tree and lights draped over a skating rink. 

Warsaw's winter nights may be dark and cold, but there's magic and beauty to be found in the streets. As long as you know where (and when!) to look!

With love from our City of Lights!

-Emily & Bryan

Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin, Dantyszku! (Happy birthday, Dantiscus!)

Ioannes Dantiscus (1485-1548)

On 1 October, 2015, Prussian Bishop Ioannes Dantiscus turned 530 years old. Because Bryan performs his research in a lab with six other people whose jobs are to catalogue and digitize Dantiscus' massive early modern correspondence, Warsaw is the center of the world when it comes to celebrating Dantiscus' birthday. In fact, Warsaw witnessed what was almost assuredly the world's only celebration of Dantiscus' birthday! On 15 November, the Dantiscus Lab's director - Anna Skolimowska - hosted a (slightly late) birthday impreza (party) for Dantiscus at her house in Wilanów, a neighborhood in the south of Warsaw. Most of the people for the Lab were able to attend and we enjoyed one of our most bizarre and entertaining afternoons yet in Poland.

Carcassonne with Anna Skolimowska

We arrived in midafternoon and were greeted by a full array of soups, meats, salads, and drinks that Anna had prepared for everyone. We contributed a homemade sweet potato pie, something that was new to almost everyone at the party. Anna kept bringing out fresh dishes throughout the afternoon, so we really never stopped eating. For the first few hours, we all played the board game Carcassonne, a game in which you construct medieval villages and cities. Several times Team Kozik was foiled by the appearance of the smok (dragon) from the wulkan (volcano) - the Polish version of Carcassonne is considerable more complicated than the American version we'd played before! But it was great to participate in cross-cultural board game nerd-iness! After the game, we continued the celebration with a series of cakes in honor of Dantiscus, accompanied by some intense sparklers (indoors), proudly waved around by Anna's husband!

The party got even more interesting later in the evening. In addition to another round of food and a third cake, Anna also brought out her homemade liqueur in several fruity flavors, all of which were sweet and delicious. Those of us who stayed into the evening sang historic and patriotic Polish songs as Anna accompanied on guitar. We sang folk songs, military songs, and songs from famous movies. Kasia was kind enough to print out the lyrics for us non-Poles. Then, in yet another unexpected turn, Anna brought out her collection of medieval swords and spears, which we all wielded as we marched around the room singing about the Polish troops marching across the Ukrainian steppe! Then at the suggestion of Bryan's advisor - Marek Janicki - we all sang a canon (round) in harmony. This was complicated only by the fact that it was in German! We didn't leave Anna's house until well after 10pm, but we had a wonderful time and experienced our first traditional Polish party - at least we think that's what it was!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Koziks!

Podróż do Poznania (Journey to Poznań)

Another beautiful week in Poland saw us exploring another ancient Polish city - Poznań (pronounced POHZ-nine). This week we were especially lucky to have Lucy accompany us during a stopover on her way from D.C. to Bahrain.

November 11th may be Veterans' Day in the States, but it's Independence Day in Poland, celebrating the end of World War I and the creation of the first independent Polish state since 1795. We were also happy to discover that November 11th is celebrated for a second reason in Poland - święto św. Marcina (the Feast of Saint Martin). This feast is especially important to the citizens of Poznań and they put on unique festivities throughout their city, which of course we could not miss!

Poznań was the original capital of the Kingdom of Poland, dating to the 10th century. The first settlement was founded on Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island - like the one in Wrocław), a large low island in the middle of the Warta River in modern West-Central Poland. It was on this island that Mieszko I - the first ruler of Poland - was likely baptized in the year 966 and thereafter built the first cathedral in Poland, what is today the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul. Duke Mieszko I and his son King Bolesław I Chrobry (Boleslaus the Brave) established their royal fortress on the island and both Mieszko and Bolesław have their tombs in the Cathedral. In the thirteenth century the center of town moved across the river to Stare Miasto (Old Town), but the island still contains the Cathedral, the royal Chapel of St. Mary, a medieval residence, and the Archbishop's Palace.

After touring Ostrów Tumski we crossed the river into Old Town, where we entered another meticulously-reconstructed medieval town square, complete with brightly-painted buildings, cobbled streets, and an incredible Italian-Renaissance-inspired Ratusz (town hall), one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Northern Europe. In contrast to the brick architecture that characterized medieval Poland, this white, stone structure really stood out against its surroundings.

But the coolest thing by far about the Town Hall was that every day at noon, two mechanical koziółki (billy goats) emerge from the clock tower and butt heads twelve times to mark the hour. This is one of the most cherished events for citizens of Poznań and when we arrived at the square at 11:55 there were already several hundred people packing the area in front of the Ratusz in order to see the spectacle. It was so fun to see, and we couldn't help but wonder whether these koziółki were distant relatives of the Koziks!

The Feast of St. Martin draws several interesting traditions in Poznań, not least of which is the city's parade. This celebration includes marching bands, athletic teams, military units, and odd historically-themed floats. But the main event is St. Martin himself. St. Martin of Tours was a 5th-century Roman soldier who became a bishop in France. He is one of the patron saints of Poznań, and at the culmination of the parade he receives the "key to the city" from the mayor. Thousands of people packed the streets for this parade and we witnessed the key ceremony from in front of the 19th-century Imperial Castle.

Another excellent tradition for the Feast of St. Martin is the baking of rogale świętomarcinskie (St. Martin's Croissants). These amazing (and HUGE) pastries are filled with almond paste, glazed with vanilla, and topped with sesame seeds. They are patented and can only be made and sold in this region of Poland, especially around this holiday. It is estimated that Poznań bakes and sells around 250 tons, or 1.25 million rogali during this week alone. We split two of them for a late breakfast and were given a complimentary one following our dinner. So delicious!

During our short trip to this beautiful city we also got to see two incredibly ornate Baroque churches, an interactive scale model of the medieval city, the "new" (13th-century) royal castle, and a huge shopping mall converted from a former brewery. Poznań proved to be alive with cultural and historical significance, and populated by a citizenry that took true pride in their home - one of the most significant cities in Poland, especially historically. We had a terrific trip and can't wait to compare Poznań to the other gems of this complex and ever impressive country!

Krasnale: Radagast Meets Wrocław's Gnomes