Christmas time in our family is truly magical. It is time of love, Christmas markets, colorful lights, going for the biggest crib in Europe and it’s all about tradition, tradition and….more tradition!
Christmas traditions in Poland are full of magic and meaning. The customs, which have been passed down through the centuries, are deeply rooted in religion, nature and family.
In this post, I would like to guide you through my family’s Christmas traditions and festive time in Poland, where I come from. In my family, Christmas times starts at the beginning of December but exactly on a special day which is December 6th- St. Nicholas Day.
Miko?ajki
St.Nicholas Day is one of the most important day for children in Poland and for many marks the beginning of Christmas time.
St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6th – Dzie? ?wi?tego Miko?aja – starts off the Christmas holidays in Poland. St. Nicholas was the 4th-century Bishop of Myra in Lycia, what is now a province of Turkey. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, and is associated by some countries with Santa Claus.
6th December, the St Nicholas Day called in Poland Miko?ajki(short for Dzie? ?wi?tego Miko?aja), is one of the most important days to the children in Poland. They get gifts from the Santa Claus on the night between the 5th/6th December.
He places the presents somewhere close to their beds, with smaller packages hidden for example under the pillow and the bigger ones lying on the floor next to the bed, and those are the first things the children see after waking up in the morning of 6th Dec.
Most of the schools in Poland organize also a special Miko?ajki event, when the children share gifts between each other. Weeks earlier they draw cards with each other’s names written on them, and then exchange the small symbolic presents during the school day.
Many people prepare also small gifts for their closest friends, family, and for beloved ones, and gift them randomly on the 6th Dec saying that the Santa had “accidentally left the package in a wrong place”. Even though this part of the Christmas traditions started to be influenced by the Western media already, the Santa Claus in Poland has still his special night exclusively on the 6th Dec.
The day of Miko?ajki hasn’t been always celebrated as it is nowadays. The idea of Santa Claus / St Nicholas (?w. Miko?aj) bringing gifts to the children started becoming widespread here only in the 19th century. Before that it was popular mostly among the wealthier families, for example of szlachta (Polish nobility) or burghers. Miko?ajki were widely celebrated already at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century, but gained the biggest popularity only after the end of the 2nd World War.
In around 18th century and later the so-called “St Nicholas boxes” were very popular in some parts of Poland. They were set up close to the churches and the wealthier people were putting small donations inside, which were later gifted to the poorest inhabitants of the village, for example to the girls who couldn’t afford a dowry.
In many rural regions of Poland processions dedicated to St. Nicholas were organized, and that custom survived in a few Polish villages even until nowadays. A person was dressing up as the Saint and visiting all the local houses, accompanied by various symbolic figures such as a “devil”, “angel”, “priest”, “chimney sweeper”, “soldier”, and others. Each figure was meaningful, symbolizing an aspect of life, for example a “newlywed couple” was representing the transitional state between the youth and the adulthood.
People in the procession were also bringing small symbolic gifts and giving them to all inhabitants of the village, regardless of their age. The good people could’ve get for example a juicy apple, but the misbehaving ones would get a bag of nut shells, dry peels of the onions or even a dead mouse.
In my family, on December the 6th we make surprises for children by giving them small gifts such as candies, chocolates, socks, small Christmas ornaments to decorate the house and small treasures or stuffed animals. That is because in less than 3 weeks, the real time for BIG presents will come, as in our tradition, December 24th the Christmas Eve, just after dinner, it’s finally the time to exchange gifts.
Happy St. Nicholas day everyone!
