Since early morning households have been buzzing with last minute preparations for the most festive supper of the entire year – Wigilia – eaten as the first star appears in the night sky.

Today is not a national holiday, though employees will be finishing work early and rushing home to get ready for what awaits.

In the evening family and friends sit down to the Christmas Eve table. And there are certain must-dos which have to be observed during the occasion, regardless of the family’s social and financial status or any additional regional customs.

The table cloth must be impeccably white with a small bundle of hay underneath it. A separate, empty plate should be set for an unexpected guest or exhausted wanderer who may knock on our door.

The Wigilia feast consists of twelve courses, including such delicacies as pierogi, uszka and barszcz (various kinds of dumplings with beetroot soup) or fried carpe, just to name a few of a whole gamut of possibilities.

However, the whole supper begins with breaking the oplatek, or Christmas wafer and exchanging best wishes among the gathered. Many families still find enough musical courage to engage in singing beautiful Polish carols.

Kids too, have their joyous moments as Santa makes his stop over in Poland on Christmas Eve. To crown the daylong celebrations there is Midnight Mass, which attracts millions of faithful to churches across the country.   (ss)

Related audio:

A Polish Christmas, polishradio.pl 24 Dec

All I want for Christmas is – to be Santa Claus, , polishradio.pl 24 Dec