"Boze Narodzenie"-Christmas
Doesn't it seem like our holidays are blending more and more these days? It is only almost the end of November and I have been hearing Christmas ads since October! My mom already did her Christmas shopping. It is all about the presents here, and sometimes it is sickening how we as Americans are so materialistic. Well I had the chance last year to experience Christmas in another country and it is much different. People weren't fighting over things in the stores and rushing around like mad to get things done. It just all seemed to slow down. People were pleasant stopping to wish each other a “Wesoly Sviont” and so on. It is all about religion and traditional over there, especially for my in-laws and I can appreciate that. I won't get into the religion bit b/c I just don't want to go there but I will describe the tradition. There wasn't that much emphasis on presents, however there was an exchange of gifts. It was short and sweet. We spent most of the holiday time going to relatives’ houses and having supper or tea and just spending some quality time together. We had 4 dinner parties before the 24th and on Christmas day we stayed home and had a nice, quiet dinner. That is what it's about for me, the family. I love the presents but being with the ones you love and all is priceless, even though I couldn't communicate very well with them because I am learning Polish but I don't think I will ever be fluent in it :( Anyway the traditions are very different over there. Polish people eat lots of food especially on the holidays. I mean like 14 different courses with side dishes, not including desserts. Traditionally you eat like 7 different types of fish dishes. At first I was kind of put off by this idea but I ate it and I ate it all-oh except for the blood soup and the gut soup. I just can't do that! You wouldn't believe the amount of food that you are supposed to eat, it's crazy. It is safe to way I practically waddled to the car I was so full. Anyway it was fun to get away from the chaos that we create during the holidays!
3 comments:
I'm almost at the end of your post before I realize you're talking about Poland. Clue us in from the beginning; don't use vague statements like "another country" when you are talking about a specific country.
14 meals?! whoa! the polish must have some fast metabolism. *envy* but hey, that could work in your favor when you become pregnant.
okay, let me guess. but i'm warning you, the guess i make might actually be worse than what you found out so i may inadvertently be giving you even more disgusting information. sorry in advance.
so, is it if you give birth naturally, there's a possibility you'll go #2 right there and then? and then, afterwards, there's of course, the possibility of hemorrhoids?
was that what you were thinking? whether it was or not, don't worry, this downside of pregnancy won't happen if you undergo caesarian.
My grandparents may be Polish, but they have definately latched onto the American shopping tradition. We've been shopping since Thanksgiving, it's exhausting, expensive, and silly. At least now my Babci knows enough not to bother getting a whole lot of pointless, wasteful gifts. She's been buying nice wool socks (which you need here in the North Country, maybe that's why you hated winter? you never had wool socks...) and I helped her pick out a cool teeshirt for my cousin.
That's what's nice about not being a little kid anymore; the adults don't have to spend a buttload of cash just trying to please you. So we spend more time cooking now, and drinking now that we're all of age, and eating. It's a good common activity that we can all share even when we have completely different outside interests. Oh, and we play cards. And bringing a cooked dish or a homemade drink to a party/get-together is nicer than some stupid mechanical hula-ing Santa Claus.
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