St. Nicholas party

St. Nicolas day is big in Poland, and in Europe. In Poland kids are usually waiting for St. Nicholas (święty Mikołaj) on the evening of Dec 5th. There is always an anticipation, if he will bring a gift or rózga (a bunch of sticks to beat your little behind if you were notty).

To have more fun, we invited some kids to share this special day. We’ve had Australians, Poles, Dutch among us, not mentioning out of state people, so it was truly an international event.

I have made a little puppet of St. Nicholas (bought $1 Santa Claus puppet at Dollar General, cut one part of the hat off, sewed to make a shape of tiara) to tell the stories about St. Nick. There was cookie decorating, food,  gift exchange.

Thanksgiving

This year we had a special treat for the Thanksgiving dinner: Ballassi family and our friend Andrzej from Poland. I cooked mostly typical American food (roasted turkey, Smashed potatoes – as Kevin says, sweet potatoes-pecans casserole, pumpkin soup, green beens casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, salad), but I added Polish bigos. Balassis brought chocolate pies and pumpkin bread.

homemade centerpiece

where is the fork?

10kg turkey

after food...

Maggie, Bob & Kathleen Balassi

David, Nick, Maggie

cookie time

let's eat it!!!

what happend to the gingerbread man's head?

St. Nicholaus, not Santa

Advent evenings

The History and meaning of Advent wreath

We have a tradition in our family, to celebrate Advent, as a time of expectation and hope. Each year we prepare Advent wreath, this year it is just 4 candles and greens and pine cones from our yard.

Every evening we light the candle (one candle for each week), read a Scripture for that day (this year we follow Jesse tree outline), sing Advent songs (like O, come, o come Emmanuel) or learn new Polish or English Christmas carols, read daily portion from an Advent story book (this year it is “Bartholomew’s Passage“) and make Jesse tree ornaments.

Jesse tree

this image is linked

A Jesse Tree is a depiction of the genealogy of Jesus designed in such a way as to show that He springs from the “root of Jesse”  per the prophecy of Isa 11:1:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse [David's father], and a flower shall rise up out of his root.

Basically, it is a daily Advent activity, where following certain Scriptures, you make ornaments and put them on a Jesse or Christmas tree.

We did this two years ago in a form of a booklet. This year I give the kids freedom to choose what kind of Jesse tree ornaments they would do.

theses images are linked to their original pages

history of Jesse Tree

Jesse tree instructions

Jesse tree calendar

Jesse tree ornaments to download

Lots of Jesse tree links

Jesse tree links on Squidoo

Great Jesse tree ornaments

Another Jesse tree ornaments

Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and my family, like every year, will gather every night to ponder the miracle of Jesus among us. The kids will do Jesse tree project, we will sing Advent songs, read the daily Scriptures and a book. We will start celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve, not before then.

My advice to make Advent meaningful:

1. Don’t put Christmas tree or sing carols before Christmas Eve.

2. Don’t buy more than one gift per person, give the spear money to those who really need them (like to my friends adopting Aiden, a boy with Down syndrome from Ukraine), but most of all give presence.

3. Celebrate St. Nick’s day (that’s why you are hanging your stockings for anyway…St. Nicholas is the one who is supposed to fill them with some sweets) with your kids, reminding them, who he really was.

4. Have Advent evenings with your family underlining Jesus’ first and second coming as the reason of this time.

Websites about Advent:

Advent is the season before Christmas

Daily Advent activities

Advent and Christmas Unit Study

Advent Conspiracy

Jesse Tree tradition

11

Teah turned 11. The birthday party was supposed to finilized at the Powell Gardens with a performance of Kansas City Ballet. But the weather and the rain changed the plans. We had a blast in our house, playing some Polish games, swinging, eating delicious hot-dogs, running around, exchanging candies on a tree…

One of the Polish games was “skakanie w gume”, known here in the US, as Chinese jump rope. I showed the girls the classic: “in, on the lines, off the lines, out” pattern and guess what. I did it even on the thighs level (you got ankles, knees, thighs, bottom, waist, arms, neck levels)… after …-ty years or so of not doing it!!! I was sored the next day, but it was so much fun!!!

14 years

today is our wedding anniversary.

When we were getting married, I though that for 10th anniversary we would go to Hawaii, for 2 weeks or so. By then, I though, we would be “established” (whatever that means).

Well, here we are, after 14 years, living in 3 continents and 5 countries, having the 3 awesomest (I made up this word, neologism=making new words) kids, we celebrated with an ice cream from McDonalds. I will go to Hawaii for my 25th.

photo by Um Ibrahim

Polish pancakes

Teah’s demonstration for the 4-H club was Polish pancakes.

Ingredients:

1-2 eggs

4 cups of milk

3 2/3 cups of flour (part of it can be whole wheat)

dash of salt

2 tbsp. of sugar

2 peeled, sliced tart apples

2 sliced bananas

possible other fruits to add: frozen or fresh blueberries, peaches, walnuts, pecans

coconut or canola oil to fry with

Mix all the ingredients in the given order, pour on the frying pan forming pancakes, fry until light golden color, serve with: powdered sugar, maple syrup, fresh strawberries, mint leaves, chocolate syrup, whipped cream or whatever you like…

Everyone had seconds.

What’s on your fridge

When I first visited USA in 1991 I was mesmerized by the refrigerators being “decorated” by various items. It seemed like a “story wall”. I’ve never seen this tradition or however you want to call it before.

This is what’s on mine in April 2008( it changes every few months), and I promise I did not make it just for this picture :

Dana’s gang (Keith’s sister) from Baton Rouge. We wish we could see them more.

Fitness schedule for the Gym, which we rarely use. It is a reminder for my American husband that the place called Gym exists and is calling his name. For me it is a rather an unimportant piece of paper hanging there. Every time I put it somewhere else, it emerges again on the same spot few days later, so I guess it is important.

Champion’s clan. We met in Qatar (Persian Gulf). They were the worship leaders in a local Christian fellowship. They sort of adopted us there, opened their house to us, helped us so many times in whatever we needed, but most of all, became really good friends, which in a place like Qatar was a blessing. For some time now, John (father) and Chris (youngest son) are battling the cancer. You can visit their website to learn about their courage and journey on this trial.

Teah got this note holder for me. I use it to write shopping lists. Very useful.

My 3 cousins, living now in Syria. Amina, Magda, Miriam. I miss them and don’t know much about their fate.

The Stones, Lois, Steve and Jeremy. We met them in California, they invited us to stay at their house after barely knowing us for 2 days or so, took us to a vacation in the California mountains, visited us in Kansas City. They encouraged us while we needed it the most.

Gosia Olszewska and her family. Gosia’s husband, Frank was one of the first street preachers I ever heard in my native city, Wroclaw. He went to be with the Lord not long ago, she is still a sign of wonder to be the brave widow, still serving as a leader in Christian community in Wroclaw.

Balassi family. Where to start… We’ve met while living in St. Louis, MO waaaay back in 1995. They were the worship leaders of a team from St. Louis Vineyard, which came twice to Moscow with Randy Clark and lead worship in Russian. They visited us in Russia and Poland, helped us more than 100 times, made to reconsider many ways of life, showed me the way of homeschooling, living faithfully and serving the people around them. They should make a web site and share their stories.

One of many Sophie’s creations which end up usually on the fridge doors for the by-passers to admire her gifting.

What’s on your fridge?

want to know something about my country, Poland?

have a look into my patriotic thoughts HERE. Then share your patriotic thoughts with me.

Mam patriotyczny dzien

tea freaks

herbata by agnieska

for Joyce

I have one friend who is crazy about tea, tea parties, tea sets, tea bags, tea ceremonies, tea cards. Since tea is still the most popular drink in Eastern Europe ( I think), here you go, all of you tea freaks. The best “tea stuff” from Poland.

The most known Polish custom and hand made, hand decorated ceramics come from Boleslawiec. They make very well known and popular tea sets plus other stoneware. Explore this site above to see the patterns, painting techniques and galleries.

Just to let you know. When I grew up, we drank tea like people drink water in USA. (There is a Camomile tea even for babies. And yes, they love it.) And we drank hot tea in glasses, without handles (picture above). Go figure. Few cups a day. Many people like it with lemon. Very few people are fond of tea with milk.

Tea party by juuust

I can’t believe I am writing about tea. I’d rather write about Teah.

Next time I will tell you about tea in Russia.

Easter traditions in Poland

Easter Triduum

The whole week before Easter is very special. Every houshold should get a major spring cleaning before this week starts and be done by Great Thursday the latest.

Great Thursday

Celebration of the Last Supper, Passover. The only one joyful day during the week. Service at the church.

Great Friday

Day of fasting. At 3pm you should stop everything and pray.

Service of the Stations of the cross in the church:

Remembering His suffering:

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus receives the cross
3. Jesus falls the first time
4. Jesus meets His Mother
5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
6. Veronica wipes Jesus’ face with her veil
7. Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
11. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus’ body is removed from the cross (Pieta)
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.

Afterwords there is usually cross adoration. People are meditating upon the passion of Christ in silence.

Great Saturday

Dyeing eggs (pisanki). Since the 10th century we make pisanki in Poland for Easter. They symbolize new life.

ale jaja by hsi_nao

This is how your pisanki will look if you boil them with the yellow onion pills. Just throw some to the water while you boil eggs, they get this golden-yellow-brown color. The more the pills, the stronger color.

    ja-ja-ja      by KASIACZEK

The other way of naturally dyeing you eggs is to boil them with the beet roots pills. You get burgundy color as a result.

These below are made by first dyeing them with the natural dies and then scratching off with a special sharp tool (actually a thick needle will do)

Polish eggs by abac077       our own pisanki

Preparing Easter basket (swieconka).

After pisanki are done, we prepare swieconka (click to read an explanation of the symbolism of different foods), which is Polish Easter basket.

We take swieconka to the church to be blessed:

2007-04-07_15-Krakow.jpg by ilvic

Saturday midnight. Celebration of resurrection. Liturgy of fire starts outside the church. Joyful Hallelujah. Procession around the church.

The paschal candle has five nails (for five wounds on Jesus’ body) and letters alpha & omega. It symbolizes Christ, light of the world.

Paschal Candle by Danny McL

Easter Sunday

Sunday morning. Instead of Good Morning you should say: Christ has risen! And the response is: He has truly risen!

Easter breakfast includes food from swieconka. We share the eggs (like breaking bread) and say wishes to each other. We pray.

The tablecloth is white, symbol of resurrection. It might be decorated with the first spring flowers. There should be a lamb, symbolizing Christ. The whole family eats together. It is a very special time.

2007-04-08_2-Pasen2007.jpg by ilvic  

Special cakes called mazurek (Easter pies):

Mazurki by rodia 

   mazurkowe szaleństwo by mimiczoko  

Easter Monday (Wet Monday)

Smigus dyngus (dousing other people with water which, at one time, had been holy water blessed the day before at Easter Sunday Mass and carried home to bless the house and food). Basically you get wet if you go outside.

SMIGUS-DYNGUS W POLSCE W LANY PONIEDZIALEK by youmakehistory  

This is it. No more for today. Send me your family/country traditional Christian celebrations about Easter.

Rejoice.

[Digg]

Palm Sunday

uploaded by Karmor         	    uploaded by P.J.S.

Here are the examples of what palms look like in Poland when we go to church on Palm Sunday. As a child I would take one to church every year. Some congregations have a procession around the church buildings or on the streets after the end of the service.

Palm Sunday is celebrated in Poland since the Middle ages.