Poland

Image Source: Flags of the World. CIA: the World Factbook. Retrieved October 23, 2010, from @https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html

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Christmas Traditions
The country of Poland’s observation of the Christmas season is an example of a population's successful fusion of traditional customs and those introduced by other cultures. The festivities which take place during the holidays in Poland maintain the country's traditional rituals, as well as the integration of German, Russian, and Austrian practices. Christmas is referred to as Gwiazdka, in which the most celebrated and anticipated day of the season is Christmas Eve, or Wigilia.

Source
Christmas in Poland and Polania This source, provided by the Polish Academic Information Center at University at Buffalo, describes in detail the commencement of holiday festivities marked by the Wigilia dinner, and Midnight Mass, known as Pasterka. The significance of decorating the home and symbolic items such as the Christmas tree are detailed, as well as the folk traditions of inviting and making welcome spirits who emerge during the holiday season. The rituals surrounding the eating of Oplatek, or bread wafer, are explored in this source.

 Image Source: Saunders, David. (2010). A View From the Loft. Retrieved October 24, 2010, from @http://aviewfromtheloft.blogspot.com/2010/01/wesoych-swiat-boze-narodzenie.html

Food
Image Source: Polish Christmas Traditions. (2010). The Polish Center. Retrieved October 24, 2010, from @http://www.polishcenter.org/Christmas/WIGILIA-ENG.htm

The tradition of sharing the Oplatek, which is a thin bread wafer, is one of the most important holiday traditions in Poland, taking place on Christmas Eve. The sharing of this bread is symbolic of coming together in reunion as a family, and remembering those who are deceased. The ceremony involves one person holding a piece of the Oplatek and offering a piece to another family member, who breaks off a piece of the wafer. Before eating, the two experiencing this tradition wish each other good fortune.

References University at Buffalo. (2000). //Christmas in Poland and Polania. Poland in the Classroom.// Retrieved October 24, 2010, from @http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/xmas.html

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