Poland - Reverse Polish
Logic in action
Part 1 - Christmas
Christmas
Christmas is about Jesus being born and 3 Kings
offering their presents. Most doors to flats
and houses have "K+M+B=2000", the initials of
those kings, written on them in chalk. Christmas
Eve is the most important and spiritual day
in Poland. We are waiting for the first star
to appear in the sky and then we sit down to
close family supper. Supper has to consist of
13 vegetarian dishes, and there has to be one
extra plate setting for a hungry stranger who
may knock at our door. Poland is famous for
its meat and alcohol consumption and Christmas
Eve is probably the only day when "no meat and
alcohol" policy is respected by everybody. Well..."no
alcohol" rule usually depends on personal interpretation,
there is a very small difference between "spirit"
and "spiritual" after all, and usually one follows
another anyway!
Kill the Carp!
Fish is allowed and carp is served. Carp is
bought alive and kept in the bath, and there
are endless discussions between friends , on
the telly and in every newspaper how to kill
the carp "humanly". Western world has "How to
loose weight while eating anything you like
during Christmas" industry. Poland has "How
to kill the fish, not feel guilty about it and
still eat it" industry! Endless hours are spent
everywhere discussing the subject. This does
not come as a surprise. Once a year the whole
nation has religious, spiritual notions. Once
a year one has got loving and caring attitude
towards the whole universe and the first task
one has to face is to...kill in order to celebrate
this wonderful feeling! There is a contradiction
in terms here. There is also a live carp, which
has been fed and swam happily in a bath for
the last few days. It probably has a name by
now and kids play with it regularly and say
"good morning" and "good night" to it. It became
a member of a family and a big sacrifice - everybody
had to abandon any complex washing activities
and use the sink for the carp's sake instead.
Now it has to be killed, cooked and eaten -
it is simply impossible and barbaric job! It
turns out that women are much better at this
than men. But many tears are shed and men phone
each other in helpless desperation: "My wife
will kill me if I don't kill the bloody fish
- give me some tips now!". There are various
theories on how to get the carp drunk so it
has "happy death". But men, being practical
and logical, usually don't waste alcohol on
carp, they recognize that it is them that is
the problem. So they drink alcohol themselves
to pick up some courage, kill the fish and then
talk to their friends and relatives for hours,
in order to find some sympathy and comfort for
the terrible ordeal they had to go through.
Facing one's own guilt is not an easy task -
and that makes Christmas even more spiritual
- because everybody has to do it in order to
celebrate it! Apart from the people who buy
the dead fish in the shop that is. But this
is against the true Christmas spirit!
Three Kings
I board a plane and for some strange reason
I am put in a Business Class. Just before the
take off the announcement comes: "Ladies and
Gentlemen, captain Andrzej Szymanski welcomes
You...". I laugh because I have never met another
"Szymanski" - never mind "Andrzej Szymanski"
in my entire life when I was in Poland. I go
to stewardesses and tell them that I am "Andrzej
Szymanski" as well. When I sit down the guy
opposite me approaches me and says that he is
"Andrzej Szymanski" as well. I don't believe
him and ask him to show me his passport. He
is not lying. 3 Andrzej Szymanskis end up in
captain's cockpit when we are above Poland.
This is so weird that my brain does not even
know what to think about it. The plane is on
"auto pilot" and so is my brain. It entertains
itself by looking at all controls and handles
which move on their own...There are clouds,
we can't see anything and plane is flying on
its own. I am familiar with a term "automation"
but seeing the physical handles moving, the
captain of the plane not even looking at the
controls and readings...computers scared me
to death for the first time in my life that
day!
Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas?
Saint Nicholas brings the presents the same
day. No point in waiting until the next morning!
Does he have double identity and is otherwise
known as Father Christmas? I am still not sure.
Saint Nicholas brings small presents, exclusively
for children, on the 6
th of December.
Father Christmas does not have this habit. They
look similar. But Saint Nicholas does not have
to climb the chimneys - he turns up at the doorstep
personally with a big sack and leaves the presents
under the Christmas tree while everybody is
watching. No socks or stockings are involved.
I know because I saw him doing this many times
over the years! In fact few times I have acted
on his behalf when he was very busy! Cotton
wool is a brilliant material to enhance one's
beard sufficiently!
Christmas and Boxing Day
It is simple. On the Christmas day everybody
is supposed to be at home and receive visitors.
On the Boxing day everybody is supposed to visit.
Do not ask me how this ever works in logical
and logistical terms because I could never work
that one out! But work it does! Making impossible
possible is a great part of Polish tradition.
Food and drink is the main focus and activity.
But there rarely is a "main" meal, there is
no "breakfast", "dinner" or "supper". Eating
and drinking becomes continuous activity, and
that is where low temperatures become very useful.
One looses a lot of energy and calories in low
temperatures. So it is quite popular to stuff
oneself to death and then go for a brisk walk
for 10-15 minutes. And after that there is room
to eat and drink some more...
Those two days are very happy and cosy days.
There is snow and frost outside, there is a
great warmth inside. Warmth comes from 4 different
sources: heating, food, spirit and family. Days
do not seem to have a beginning or an end, they
don't have a middle point either. They just
become one, long, lazy trip. And because one
does not have to go out if one does not wish
to do so, because there is all this wonderful
supply of food, one feels embraced and enveloped
by happiness and warmth. One has everything
one needs. All the worlds' worries disappear
and for those two days one lives in the world
created by oneself. The perception of reality
shifts and the world becomes nice and wonderful
place, where stress and worries do not exist.
Enemies and hostilities disappear from the face
of earth. It is easy to get into this new habit
and it is so refreshing.
Obviously catholic religion imposed those feelings
and habits on us. But there is something much
more basic behind it all. I could not imagine
having the same feelings in a warm country.
Cold forces us to find comfort inside our houses.
And this simple realisation makes us to go one
step further - inside our houses we start to
look for comfort and peace inside ourselves.
And during Christmas time, when the whole nation
is involved in the same activity, missing comfort
and warmth inside oneself is almost impossible
and finding it is natural.
TAIZE Catholic Convention
This Christmas was very special for Warsaw this
year. 72,000 young Catholics from all over the
world flooded the town to make their prayers
here. The whole town was visibly proud and deeply
touched by such an honour. The harsh conditions,
bad weather and quite poor town transport facilities
did not affect youths' positivism and courage.
Many times I wished I could join them, because
they represented the power and freedom I lost
long time ago. Most of them lived in accommodation
offered by private people, offered for free
with meals included. It was a wonderful case
of sharing. It was a wonderful time of truly
letting the stranger into one's house, feeding
him and...having to put up with him! It was
a case of leaving all the mistrust, worry and
fear behind. It was true Christmas experience
- simple welcome with an open arms and an open
heart.
Christmas Hangover
Polish people did not get any extra free days.
They went back to work on Monday, December 27.
Those who had to, that is! It is almost impossible
to go back to reality after such uplifting and
wonderful experience. The shock to the system
is too big. Those who did go back to work usually
tried to avoid it anyway. Most of the non-critical
services and many shops were closed before New
Year. My local tailor who I visited regarding
the zip in my jacket tells me: "I don't really
want to do this zip of yours, Festive season
and all the rest, but my financial circumstances
force me to...". The whole nation is hanging
in suspense: "there is no point in going to
reality yet - there is New Year in front of
us. We just have to go through our motions and
pretend that reality does not exist for the
next few days....and then there will be happiness
and celebrations again!"
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YWHW | Subject: | 2001-05-15 19:46:06 |
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