Kelly Lugosi’s Dead (Undead Undead Undead) asked me to talk about Wigilia and some of its more… ancient roots. I knew very little about this celebration, so that assignment was a big “hell yeah, good buddy.”
In Poland, particularly among Roman Catholics, Christmas is a Very Big Production that spans three days. Wigilia is the highlight for many families.
Preparing for this Christmas Eve vigil (there it is) feast often begins days in advance. The dinner comprises twelve courses (in honor of the twelve apostles), so planning ahead is definitely wise. Everything that happens on Christmas Eve and during Wigilia is thought to carry on throughout the year – so laziness and fighting is frowned upon. Christmas Eve is a Black Fast day in which nothing can be eaten until sundown – and even then, they are expected to abstain from meat (fish doesn’t count as a meat here.) So the dishes bring a lot of variety and flavor using veggies and fish.
A typical first course is soup, and barszcz (or red borcht) is common for its festive hue. Various herring dishes are traditional after that, and fish generally serves as the main course – Poland has a long history of carp farming, and following WWII, it became the Wigilia fish of choice. Of course pierogi are common, as well as sauerkraut, apple salad, cabbage rolls, dried fruit compotes, kutia and kluski. Dessert generally includes a cake, piernik, babka and makowiec.
The celebration officially begins when the first star appears in the eastern sky (I tried to Google what they do in the event of a cloudy night. Everyone wistfully reports that, actually, they don’t remember a cloudy Wigilia! … But I’m going to wager that someone probably just decides to make the call that it’s time or maybe hangs a star to symbolize the First Star.) The family breaks the opłatek (Christmas wafer) to start the meal.
It was also a tradition to share a pink opłatek with livestock and pets (why pink? I don’t know!) These animals were treated with special reverence on Christmas Eve in honor of the animals present at the birth of Jesus – and in honor of the traditional belief that animals were granted the ability to speak at midnight (bribing them to say good things, no doubt.)
Hay is sometimes placed beneath the tablecloth, purportedly to symbolize the manger. Children draw pieces of straw during the meal – and different colors suggest different futures for each kid. Likewise, the weather surrounding Wigilia is thought to portend the weather and harvest season for the coming year. The presence of some Yuletide divination definitely speaks to some Pagan roots that have been scattered under the rug – or tablecloth, as it were.
Another very Pagan tradition that’s become a part of Wigilia is setting out a dummy plate. An extra place setting for the “unexpected guest” symbolizes hospitality, possibly for Mary and Joseph. But, again, that’s a tradition that stretches back further than Jesus.
Children and families often decorate their Christmas trees for Wigilia – or, more traditionally, a bunch of tied branches hung from the ceiling above the dining table, known as the podłaźniczka. Other decorations made of paper, straw, wafers and nuts are common, including the wonderful, gorgeous, colorful, incredible pająk (I like them a lot, okay?)
Presents are exchanged after dinner. While Saint Nicholas brings presents on December 6, these are said to come from an angel and a star (which might be male or female), two of St. Nick’s helpers, as he was no doubt tired from his earlier festivities. In modern times, the tradition is often that Saint Nicholas delivers gifts on the 6th and Santa Claus delivers them on the 25th. That’s… a whole cast of characters going on there.
Many families roll their Wigilia into Pasterka – Shepherd’s Mass, or midnight mass. Then, they wake up to a traditional Christmas breakfast, often including scrambled eggs, cold cuts, salmon, salads and cakes. All told, Christmas spans three days in Poland with lots of caroling, dining and celebrating with family. It’s often a joke that surviving Polish Christmas means you can survive just about anything. And… uh… I get it.