011-Wigilia-A Polish Christmas Eve Custom

Where I live, many have heard of and take part in Seven Fishes. Seven Fishes is a Christmas Eve tradition many Italian Americans take part in where I live. Well, my ancestors took part in something with much logical parallel, but it is with a Polish take. It is called Wigilia. Wigilia is a dinner which the Poles have made famous. My Polish ancestors have taken part over the years as well. My grandmother, who recently passed away, would speak of it. It was “Babcia,” my great-great grandmother (while Babcia is simply grandmom in Polish, “Babcia” refers to a specific legend in our family from generations ago) who likely instilled much of the Polish pride which still exists in our family so many years later. 

My parents’ generation did not continue this particular event that my ancestors had practiced for the eras prior. While I love them, it only made sense to me to resurrect something that was so relevant to my family heritage as well as my faith.

A Little About The Tradition

I will speak to it in its purest form. Christmas Eve is a solemn day in terms of the way we practice our faith. For the entirety of the day, many Poles and Polish Americans would traditionally fast in advance of the massive dinner which was to start after the first star could be spotted in the sky.

It is not unheard of for there to be a bed of hay under the cloth of the table, as a way to symbolize the idea of the manger. An empty chair is custom as well, which is reserved for any unexpected guest who may be traveling. Opłatek is a way of gathering everyone together before dinner starts. It involves using a piece of (unconsecrated) wafer known as opłatki, where everyone present will break a piece from the wafer and wish others joy, success, peace, and happiness in the upcoming. Personally, I love this practice. In order to not make it uncomfortable for everyone, I try to keep it an informal occurrence, but I do take part in it. 

As for the dinner itself, throughout the years it has mostly been the lovely Polish women of the families cooking for several days in advance to prepare for this monstrosity of a feast. I can tell you from personal experience that on any occasion, you do not show up to a Polish woman’s house, especially a grandmother, and expect to not overeat. I will miss those days immensely in my own family but will also do my best to keep many of these customs alive.

Anyway, the several days of cooking results in twelve dishes being served for the Wigilia dinner. The number twelve has deep meaning in many cultures, with the Polish culture being no exception. In this case, it is meant to symbolize the twelve apostles, as well as to represent the twelve months of the upcoming year and the well wishes for people to experience plentifulness during those twelve months. 

Wigilia is traditionally a meatless meal other than seafood. This is a way of paying recognition of the animals present during the nativity.

The Food Itself

So there is normally seafood. On a traditional Polish table, seeing rolmops or pickled herring is not out of the question. As a Polish American, I have to understand my audience a little, and I serve salmon that I grill on cedar planks as well as crab cakes (I am a Maryland native and make damned good ones).

You will almost always see bread on the table. I make and serve chałka, which I believe is the most common. It is of the three-braid variety, which is often done to symbolize the holy trinity. Many serve makowiec (poppyseed bread) too. I provide it toward the end of the dinner more in conjunction with the dessert items. It should also be said that my local Polish deli does a better job of making it than I ever could. At some point I’ll master getting the rollup correctly. Until then, I’ll count my blessings with having the deli nearby.

Cabbage is a must. It is often in the form of sauerkraut. I have sauerkraut in one of my pierogi. Speaking of pierogi, I don’t think it would really be a Wigilia dinner without pierogi on the table. This is by far the most cumbersome item I make, but it’s the most joyous effort of the preparation too. These Polish dumplings have somehow become part of my persona, and it only took a few additional tips my grandmother once provided to get them where I wanted them–though I still seem to improve just a little bit every time I make them. Typical fillings for me include the pierogi ruskie (“rusk-yeh” which is potato and cheese), the sauerkraut and mushroom (kapustą z grzybami), as well as fruit fillings (blueberry is a common one). I make about 250-300 per year, but it’s never wise to count them while they are in the boiler. Karma will usually get the best of you, and they’ll pop open after you count them.

Soups are commonplace. My friend, several years ago, provided me the most delicious recipe for barszcz that I could possibly imagine. This is a red beet soup, which includes other vegetables and additional flavors. To top it off, a light dousing of sour cream and dill perfects it. Others, yet, will add small mushroom dumplings in their servings of it which are known as uszka.

I mentioned makowiec earlier as a part of dessert on my table. There are usually assortments of cookies (ciasteczka) as well. Common on a table for Wigilia would be kolaczki, which are fruit filled cookies on a folder up square piece of cream cheese-based dough; pierniczki, which could best be described as Polish gingerbread, as well as many others.

I’ll briefly discuss alcohol. Some frown upon the inclusion of it during a solemn occasion. I am not a part of those “some,” but I do discourage people from getting heavily intoxicated during this event as a way of showing reverence for the meaning of the nativity. In fact, it is a tradition for me to include krupnik on my table. Not to be confused with the Polish soup known as krupnik, the krupnik I am talking about is a vodka-based drink. It includes a combination of honey, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, clothes and some citrus peel (usually lemon for me) being heated and then added to vodka. It is a delicious drink that my family brings out in all celebratory occasions.

In my family, while I keep Christmas Eve relatively sober, Christmas night is not! I digress.

A Personal Note

First, my spread differs in the seafood. As already mentioned, I serve salmon and crab cakes. While I would be willing to eat the smoked carp and am a fan of pickled herring, I fully understand that most are not fond of the idea. So I call a minor audible. I also include haluski on the menu. While not unheard of in Polish circles, I think it is more common and may have originated from Slovak cultures. Anyway, Haluski is a combination of butter, cabbage, butter, onion, egg noodles, and more butter. If I’m making it in other parts of the year, I’ll fry up some bacon and crumble it into the meal. As Wigilia is meatless, it is delicious enough to stand on its own deliciously.

Sometimes I have a small handful of people show up for dinner, and sometimes it is a bigger event. Regardless, it is always a rewarding evening for me which concludes with attendance at midnight mass. This is a way of keeping the rich history of my ancestry alive. The symbolism which connects this event to my faith is rich, and it is not lost on me–it is therefore not lost on anyone else present. 

I love eating meat, but I love the meaning behind this being a meatless meal. I also love that when I make grocery runs for this dinner, I spend the vast majority of my time in the produce section. This year, it hit me that this is the way it is supposed to be. We are a part of this earth. We rely on it, and we should respect it. Even when we indulge in a delicious steak, venison, or otherwise, we should understand that we are all a part of this circle of life. When the ingredients I require come from the earth, it is an obvious reminder of this lesson. We should take none of it for granted.

Speaking of being in touch with nature, I should probably touch on some of the folklore surround the night of Christmas Eve in Polish cultures It is believed that this is the one night of the year when humans are successfully able to communicate directly with animals–and animals with humans. I recently watched Frosty with my son, and it wasn’t lost on me that “Santa speaks a fluent rabbit.”

After all, Santa is North Polish, and it would make sense that he takes part in these customs. :) 

Wesołych Świąt! And Smacznego!