Just before Christmas Eve

"In Poland Christmas starts with Christmas Eve which is celebrated as a common family meal on the evening of 24th of December. After dinner many people go to church to participate in the midnight mass called pasterka. The christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) starts with wishes and breaking the wafer (opłatek). 25th December is a day for the family and holiday visits are usually paid on 26th December, on the second day of Christmas. Christmas is the most family-oriented holiday in Poland and for this reason just before holiday people travel to be together with their family".

Władysław Miodunka: Cześć, jak się masz cz.I.

The Ultimate Guide to Polish Christmas

Dzień dobry,


"Wieczór wigilijny"

Biały obrus lśni na stole,
Pod obrusem siano.
Płoną świeczki na choince,
Co tu przyszła na noc.

Na talerzach kluski z makiem,
Karp jak księżyc srebrny.
Zasiadają wokół stołu
Dziadek z babcią, krewni.

Już się z sobą podzielili
Opłatkiem rodzice,
Już złożyli wszyscy wszystkim
Moc serdecznych życzeń.

Kiedy mama się dzieliła
Ze mną tym opłatkiem,
Miała w oczach łzy, widziałem,
Otarła ukradkiem.

Nie wiem co też mama chciała
Szepnąć mi do ucha.
Bym na drzewach spodni nie darł?
Pani w szkole słuchał?
Niedojrzałych jabłek nie jadł?
Butów tak nie brudził?
Nagle słyszę, mama szepce:
Bądź dobry dla ludzi.


The above poem by Tadeusz Kubiak (known by many Polish children) will be our guide through Polish Christmas.
Please translate the poem and hand it in during your next lesson ;-) (joke), or maybe not...   Try to find in it as many Polish Christmas traditions as possible.
 
See you in class,
Ola

Święty Mikołaj

- It is snowing - says Łukasz and runs to the window -He should arrive very soon.
-You know we will not see him, we have never met him - says little girl standing next to him.
- But that's the point, he is getting older and we are getting better each year. Even you can run faster now.... Did you hear that?... a door bell.... No it can't be him, he always leaves it underneath pillows or in shoes or in....
- Ola, Łukasz, could you please answer the door ....
- But mum, this way we can miss him... You go Ola, I will keep an eye on pillows....

- Ojej, Łukasz! Święty Mikołaj był u nas. - She shouts too excited to stick to English. - I didn't see him, but he left us plenty of sweets.


Typical ? Maybe it is. The only difference is that it is an eve of 6th of December and we will not see him on Christmas Day - a star will bring us presents on Christmas Eve.

See you in class,
Ola 

Polish teacher vs. Polar Bear ('s ghost)

First of all - thank you all for your advice on getting rid of the ghost of polar bear from classroom. 
All comments are appreciated and articles have been read. I enjoyed the most the one about a sequence of moves that kills live and dead polar bears. I didn't know that Polish army has such a sophisticated technology and that they monitor and register all cases of use of the "secret sequence" in order to keep Polish citizens from killing polar bears which are not members of Bafia (Bears' Mafia). 
The article about bipolar bears was also very interesting although twice that complex.

However the article about the polar bears camouflage techniques was the one that made me think. It is said that if you look at 4 photos taken in Poland, a polar bear will appear at least in 3 of them (just hidden of course). I investigated my photos of Wroclaw and see yourself - I couldn't believe it!

I know, I couldn't believe it either. 

See you in class,

Ola