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