Pronouncing the Polish Christmas alphabet by Robert Strybel, Polish/Polonian Affairs Writer http://www.polartcenter.com/Articles.asp?ID=180 <http://www.polartcenter.com/Articles.asp?ID=180&Redirected=Y> &Redirected=Y Our Polish Christmas heritage is exceptionally rich in lore, tradition, folkways and foodways. Today we will highlight some of its major components in an alphabetical listing which may help clear up certain misgivings and put things into sharper focus. It may also help you brush up on some of the Polish Christmas terminology that may have drifted away over the years. A pronunciation guide has been included for those whose Polish over time has grown rusty or is non-existent. NOTE: This listing may prove useful when planning Polish-American Christmas-themed activities such as workshops, craft fairs, holiday bazaars, nativity plays, club suppers and parish events. It could be the ideal basis of a Christmas quiz. No permission is required to reprint this compendium in Polish Saturday School or other course materials, printed programs, parish bulletins, club newsletters or wherever. The point is to spread the good word as far and wide as possible! ADVENT: Pronounced: “AHD-vent”, Advent, the nearly four-week period of spiritual preparation for Christmas. It is the time to build a Christmas crib, welcome Święty Mikolaj, prepare home-made tree ornaments, light successive candles of the Advent Wreath, pray and mediate a bit more and think of the needy. ANIOL: Pronounced: “AH-nyo”, the Polish word for angel, a figure who recurs throughout the season in Christmas carols, nativity plays and holiday decorations. ANIOLEK: Pronounced: “ah-NYO-wek”, diminutive of “aniol” meaning little angel, the Christmas Eve gift-giver in some parts of Poland, St. Nick’s helper in others and a favorite Christmas tree peak ornament. BARSZCZ: Pronounced: “barshch”, a clear beetroot soup made with vegetable and mushrooms stock usually including “uszka” (bite-sized mushroom-filled dumplings), traditionally served at the Wigilia supper. BIGOS: Pronounced: “BEE-gus”, often referred to in English as “Polish hunter’s stew”, this all-time favorite ragoût contains sauerkraut and/or cabbage, mushrooms, different kinds of meat and sausage, all slowly simmered for hours. With the exception of meatless Wigilia, this is a favorite throughout the long season of holiday entertaining. BOZE NARODZENIE: Pronounced: “BAW-zheh nah-raw-DZEH-nyeh”, literally God’s birth or divine birth, this is the standard Polish word for Christmas. CHOINKA: Pronounced: “haw-EEN-kah”, this can be any evergreen in general or a Christmas tree. The fir and spruce are preferred in Polish Christmas tradition. It is set up and trimmed on Dec. 24 and kept up till at least Jan. 6 or even Feb 2. CHOINKA: Pronounced “haw-EEN-kah”; a secondary meaning of “choinka” is a Christmas party, not on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, usually organized for community residents, club members, employees and their families, etc. DRZEWKO: Pronounced: “JEFF-kaw” literally means “little tree” and is the common term for Christmas tree in southern Poland. GES PIECZONA: Pronounced: “GHENSH pyeh-CHAW-nah”, except for meatless Wigilia, roast goose was once a Christmas-New Year’s mainstay, but has largely been replaced by turkey. Poland remains Europe’s top goose producer, but most are exported to Germany. GODNE SWIETA: Pronounced: “GAWD-neh SHFYEN-tah”, an old-fashion name for Christmas, especially the entire 12 days from Christmas Eve till the Three Kings. GODY: Pronounced: “GAW-dih”, same as “Godne Swieta”; apart from Christmas, the term “Gody” has also been applied to other festive celebrations, e.g. “Zlote Gody” = Golden Wedding Anniversary. GRZANIEC: Pronounced: “GZHAH-nyets”, hot mulled wine served to guests over Christmas and throughout the winter months. GWIAZDA BETLEJEMSKA: Pronounced: “GVYAHZ-dah bet-lay-EM-skah, the Star of Bethlehem, a name also given to the poinsettia (red Christmas flower). GWIAZDA KOLEDNICZA: Pronounced: “GVYAHZ-dah kaw-lend-NEE-chah”, literally caroler’s star, a large paper star, mounted on a pole, often with internal illumination, and carried by traditional caroling parties. GWIAZDKA: Pronounced: “GVYAST-kah”, diminutive of “gwiazda”, literally meaning little star, one of the names of Christmas in Polish. GWIAZDOR: Pronounced: “GVYAZ-dor”, the name of the Christmas gift-giver especially in the western region of Wielkopolska, patterned on Germany’s Weihnachtsmann, a secularized Father Christmas. HERODY: Pronounced: “heh-RAW-dih”, a humorous Christmas skit which shows the Devil and Grim Reaper and Devil arguing over King Herod’s soul; often part of the routine re-enacted by house-to-house carolers. INDYK PIECZONY: JASELKA: Pronounced: “yah-SEW-kah”, nativity play, usually staged by children who re-enact the story of shepherds going to Bethlehem to honor Baby Jesus. JEDLINA: Pronounced: “yed-LEE-nah”, natural evergreen branches, tucked behind pictures and mirrors, displayed in vases and elsewhere permeates the home with a genuine Christmassy scent. KAPUSTA Z GROCHEM: Pronounced: “kah-POOSS-tah z GRAW-hem”, stewed, meatless sauerkraut with whole yellow peas or other dried, cooked legumes, usually including some mushrooms – a typical Wigilia dish. KAPUSTA Z GRZYBAMI: Pronounced: “kah-POOSS-tah z ghzih-BAH-mee”, stewed, meatless sauerkraut with mushrooms, preferably rehydrated dried boletes – a typical Wigilia dish. KIERMASZ SWIATECZNY: Pronounced: “KYER-mahsh shfyun-TECH-nih”, holiday bazaar or Christmas fair, often a fund-raiser featuring assorted Yuletide goods and treats. KLUSKI Z MAKIEM: Pronounced: “KLOOSS-kee z MAK-kyem”, noodles and poppyseeds – a typical sweet dish of the Wigilia supper. ” KOLEDA: Pronounced: “kaw-LEN-dah”, Christmas carol, traditional songs honoring the nativity, populated by angels, shepherds and their flocks as well as the Three Kings, with the Holy Family as their centerpiece. KOLEDNIK: Pronounced “kaw-LEND-neek, caroler; traditionally a caroler-masquerader dressed as a shepherd, King Herod, Death, Devil, Angel, Gypsy, Soldier, etc., forming part of a caroling party making house-to-house rounds. KROKIETY: Pronounced: “kraw-KETT-ih”, croquettes – crêpes (nalsniki), filled with stewed sauerkraut & mushrooms or other meatless filling, rolled up, breaded, fried and served in some families with clear Christmas Eve beetroot barszcz. KRUPNIK: This culinary term has two different meanings 1) vegetable-barley soup, and (at Christmas time) 2) a honey-spice cordial served hot in shot or cordial glasses. KULIG: Pronounced: “KOO-leek”, sleighing party with torch-lit horse-.drawn sleighs and musicians for entertainment. KUTIA, KUCJA: Pronounced: “KOOT-yah, KOOTS-yah”, a traditional sweet Wigilia dish, made of cooked wheat or other grain, poppyseeds, honey, nuts, etc., especially in eastern Poland. MAKOWIEC: Pronounced: “mah-KAW-vyets”, poppyseed roll cake, a typical Polish Christmas cake; also known as “makownik” and “strucla z makiem”. MATKI BOSKIEJ GROMNICZNEJ: Pronounced: “MAHT-kee BUSS-kay grum-NEECH-nay”, Candlemas, literally: Our Lady of the Death Candle (Feb. 2), the day candles are blessed in chruch marks the official end of the Polish Christmas season. MIKOLAJKI: Pronounced: “mee-kaw-WHY-kee”, St. Nicholas celebration, at which youngsters gather to welcome Swiety Mikolaj (see below). NOWY ROK: Pronounced: NAW-vih RAWK”, New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, a time for visiting, feasting and celebrating. OPLATEK: Pronounced: “aw-PWAH-tek”, this white unleavened wafer, imprinted with nativity motifs, is sometimes referred to as “angel bread” or “the bread of love”. The single most important artifact of Polish-style Christmas, it is traditionally it is broken and shared at the start of the Wigilia supper. OPLATEK: Pronounced: “aw-PWAH-tek”, this is also the name of a Christmas get-together which involves breaking and sharing opłatek at church, work or some organization. Often carols are sung and light refreshments may be served, but usually not a full meal. PAJAK: Pronounced: “PAH-yunk”, literally spider, but in Christmas usage a mobile-type folk decoration made of opLatek, paper, straw, feathers, etc. suspended from the ceiling; also strings of dried white peas, draped to resemble strings of pearls. PASTERKA: Pronounced: “pah-STAIR-kah”, Shepherd’s Mass celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve. PIERNIK: Pronounced: “PIERRE-neek”, honey-spice cake, Polish gingerbread, one of Poland’s typical Christmas cakes. PIEROGI: Pronounced: “pierre-UGH-ee”, filled dough pockets or dumplings, whose meatless versions are a typical Wigilia dish. PODLAZNICZKA: Pronounced: “pud-wazh-NEECH-kah”, an evergreen bough or tree-top, trimmed with hand-made ornaments, sweets and nuts, suspended from the ceiling over the table; a predecessor of the Christmas tree. RYBA: Pronounced: “RIB-ah”, fish, a Wigilia culinary mainstay including herring, fresh-water and sea species, fried, baked, poached and in aspic. SAD: Pronounced: “SAHD”, this is the name given to the podłaźniczka in the Tatra Mountains and elsewhere in southern Poland. SIANO: Pronounced: “SHAH-naw”, hay, a symbol of Christ’s humble birth in a stable, is strewn on the table beneath the table-cloth and forms a bed on the plate or tray containing the opłatek. SLOMA: Pronounced: “SWAW-mah”, straw, in olden times strewn about the floor of peasant cottages on Wigilia and tied round table legs to commemorate the Nativity. SYLWESTRA: Pronounced: “sil-VESS-trah”, the Polish name fro New Year’s Eve recalls the name of St. Sylvester, whose feastday is celebrated on Dec. 31st. SZOPKA: Pronounced: “SHAWP-ah”, Christmas crib, Nativity set, sometimes a portable puppet theater carried by carolers house-to-house “SHAWP-kah”, SZOPKA KRAKOWSKA: Pronounced: “SHAWP-kah krah-KUSS-kah”, Kraków-style Christmas crib, fashioned from thin strips of wood, cardboard and shimmering colored foil into an urban folk-art work of true beauty. SLEDZIE: Pronounced: “SHLEDGE-eh”, herring, one of the culinary “musts” on the Wigilia table served pickled, creamed, in oil, in salads, etc. SWIETO TRZECH KROLI: Pronounced: “SHFYEN-taw TCHEKH KROO-lee”, literally Feast of the Three Kings, the Epiphany (Jan. 6); chalk is blessed at church with which the formula K+M+B 2008 is inscribed over doorways in honor of the Magi. SWIETY MIKOLAJ: Pronounced: “SHFYEN-tih mee-KAW-why”, St, Nicholas, the kindly bishop who visits kids on his feastday (Dec. 6), quizzes them on their prayers and good deeds and rewards them with treats and toys. WIECZERZA WIGILIJNA: Pronounced: “vyeh-CHEH-zhah vee-ghee-LEEY-nah”, Christmas Eve supper, to Poles the single most important family meal of the year. WIGILIA: Pronounced: “vee-GHEEL-yah”, Christmas Eve, literally: the Vigil, to Poles the single most important day of the year. WILIA: Pronounced: “VEEL-yah”, an older name for Wigilia (see preceding entry). ZLOBEK: Pronounced: “ZHWAW-bek”, Christmas crib or Nativity set.