Poland Local Customs

  Sea of flames under the cross on All...
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Poland

51.

Dining and Drinking   Krakow

Dining and Drinking, Krakow

 4 Reviews  You will notice people walking around eating a long sandwich covered with pasta sauce and cheese. In actuality, it is a baguette, split in half. cooked in the over until the cheese is melted. Here... 

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52.

Culture   Warsaw

Culture, Warsaw

 39 Reviews   Warsaw has not one but two legends of mermaids. - One is the story of a fisherman named WARS , who while fishing in the river found a mermaid named SAWA, they fall in love and she asked him to found... 

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53.

Language   Warsaw

Language, Warsaw

 6 Reviews  Whenever travelling abroad, it's a good idea to remain in touch with your respective consulate and/or embassy. Just in case you need their assistance (lost passport, marriage arrangements, etc.)... 

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54.

Palace of Culture and Science   Warsaw

Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw

 3 Reviews  A controversial gift from Stalin is called the Palace of Culture and Science (Palac Kultury i Nauki, PKiN). For most (but not all) Poles, including me, this building is a symbol of communism and... 

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Easter in Poland

by Polish_Mila

I Poland there are a few nice traditions during Easter.The celebration of Easter is preceded by Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday. The original palm branch is replaced by a willow or raspberry branch, and is decorated with ribbons, flowers, and leaves. They are brought to churches. Good Friday, marks the start of the vigil at symbolic tombs of Christ in churches, which lasts until Holy Saturday. On the next day, Holy Saturday, services accompanied by processions are held to commemorate the Resurrection. Inside the churches, priests sprinkle holy water on small baskets brought by believers and filled with “pascha”, cakes, eggs, horseradish, sausages, ham, salt and tiny sugar lambs. The consecration of eggs refers to egg being an ancient symbol of life. There is also a custom of coloring eggs, which when painted are called “malowanki” or “kraszanki”. On Easter Sunday morning,...

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Storks and Chimneys

by Ekaterinburg

The stork's nest on a chimney is an image I always enjoy seeing. I had never actually seen one in reality though and coming across them in Poland was a big thrill. Across the lake from the Palace at Krokowa where we stayed , there was a redbricked mill with a tall chimney. I thought I saw activity on top but being fairly shortsighted could not actually identify whether there was a nest there or not. After two days I couldn't restrain my curiosity and trekked over there camera at the ready. Yes, there was a nest and there was a stork. The angle made it a bit difficult to photograph but definitely confirms that I wasn't hallucinating.

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Polish Hospitality

by Ekaterinburg

Polish people are supposed to be among the most hospitable in the world and in my opinion this is certainly true. Being invited to somebody's home for dinner involves staggering amounts of food and drink and continual exhortations to eat up. Hospitality is not just restricted to food but covers all the facilities of the family home, invitations to places and events and endless transportation. With the exception of a few bus trips (which we enjoyed thoroughly), all our travel in the Baltic was courtesy of my friends who I had been teaching in Ireland. We considered ourselves priveleged to be treated as family members and to have had the chance to interact so closely with members of the community we stayed in.

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HOT art !!

by Pawtuxet

Here I have collected a number of photos of the lovely heating units used in Poland. Of course they have more modern heating in newer buildings...but there are some older buildings which still rely on these wonderful pieces of equipment. Some seem to be enamel over metal while others are made of very sturdy tiles on the exterior. In the Kazimierz district of old Krakow... there is a little cafe which I speak of on another tip. It had an old stove w/ elaborate decoration...and the Star of David. It is a Jewish community, but it was still odd to see the Star on the stove. Must have been a Jewish Manufacturer. Does anyone know? So you are all travellers, right? And sometimes when you are running out of clothes along the way, you devise silly places to hang your clothes to dry. We called it our "sock tree".... but found many places close to the wonderful stove were very useful for...

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You better watch out on Easter Monday!

by gosiaPL

If you happen to be in Poland at Easter time, you'd better be aware of what's going on on the Monday after Easter which is also a holiday in Poland. Somebody, even strangers in the street, may pour water on you or at least you'll get sprinkled! It's an old custom, called Smingus-Dyngus, that derives from folk tradition and it simply means the person wishes you well, especially wishing good health and wealth. The old tradition had it that all the girls in the village had to be made soking wet with water to ensure they would get married soon!Nowadays, even in big cities, you can see groups of young boys with buckets of water looking out for girls. But they may also empty their buckets on strangers passing by who may be... yourself :-) There's a hooligan-side to it as well: if these guys are bored they will throw bucketfuls of water into buses and streetcars just before the doors shut....

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Corpus Christi processions stop the traffic!

by gosiaPL

If you're travelling by car on the Catholic holiday of Corpus Christi, be prepared to come across numerous processions in little villages and towns as well as in the streets of big cities. They may be taking place at various times of the day so you never know! Just relax and wait, get out of the car to strech your bones, theres not much point in shouting to the locals how upset you are - it's an old tradition that is respected by everybody in the country. Forget about complaining to the policemen by the road - they are there to make sure that the processions can go safely undisturbed by traffic. Corpus Christi always falls on a Thursday and that's how we're getting a long weekend because most offices close for the Friday after. But the Thursday varies from year to year - it is roughly about 60 days after Easter. It usually falls some time around the middle of June... or if Easter is...

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All Saints' Day - to those who were here before us

by evaanna

1 November is All Saints' Day in Poland, when Polish people visit the graves of their family and friends, bringing flowers and lighting candles. It is also the day when we remember those who died fighting for our country and light candles on their, often anonymous or just symbolic graves. It is a beautiful day, full of memories and love for those who passed away.1 November is an official holiday, so expect most shops, except florists, banks and many attractions to be closed on that day.

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Polish Cousine

by Kinia

kotlet schabowy - perhaps the best-known Polish culinary classic, loved by the POles, but I am not sure if you will like it ( may be too greasy ). It is fried pork loin chop coated in breadcrumbs.golonka (pork knuckle) - another pork dish very popular in Poland. If you can't swallow greasy food then don't order it. It is served with cabbage.pierogi - made from noodle dough, stuffed with minced meat, cabbage mixed with mushrooms, cottage cheese or fruit, boiled. The similar things are pyzy (steamed dumplings made from potato flour) and knedle (dumplings stuffed with fruit).bigos - that's the most Polish dish that exists :-) It's made of brined cabbage with a variety of meats, smoked meats and mushrooms. golabki - cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice or groats, served with tomato or mushroom sauce.The last three are for the brave. Just dont ask what these are made of!...

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About eating

by Kinia

Most Poles eat in. Cooking at home is still popular in here. Althought some people eat only out (especially young people). In Poland eating patern is a little bit different from the western Europe. We eat 4 times a day. Friest we have "pierwsze sniadanie" ( frist breakfast) which we eat before schhol or work. Then we have "drugie sniadanie" ( the second breakfast) - thats light meal we eat around 11 o'clock. Often thats something you bring from home - like sandwich or fruit. Then we have dinner. We eat it after work (around 4 o'clock). That's the biggest meal in the whole day. And finally we have supper aroung 8-9 o'clock. Thats traditional day eating pattern in Poland but it may change soon since eating lunch is getting popular.

Polish Vodka

by Kinia

Vodka is one of the most popular drinks in Poland. There is no party without vodka. The most popular are Polish brands of course :-) Some people drink vodka mixed with juice, some can drink it pure.Here are some brands you can see in Polish bars ( and not only ):Zubrowka - that's my favourite one. It tastes very good with apple juice. It contains bison grass which grows only in Bialowieza Primaeval Forest. This makes the vodka taste very special ( there is grass blade in the bottle). You can't find such a things anywhere else.Absolwent- crystal-clear vodka, very popular in PolandChopin - it is said to be a Masterpiece :-)Sobieski - another brand that is popular in Poland.Bols - Pure Polish Vodka, very popular ;-)Soplica - one of the oldest Polish brands ( produced since 1891). For some drinks recipes click here

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Local traditions and culture in Poland

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Sheraton Krakow Hotel  Krakow

 7 Reviews and 517 Opinions  I had a very pleasant stay at this hotel. I was part of a tour group, but would recommend it to the... 

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Intercontinental Warszawa  Warsaw

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Mercure Hevelius  Gdansk

 7 Reviews and 221 Opinions  Great view from my 9th floor room. [ half way up ]. The room is just what you expect for 450 zloty... 

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Local Customs: Cities in Poland
  1. Krakow Local Customs
  2. Warsaw Local Customs
  3. Gdansk Local Customs
  4. Wroclaw Local Customs
  5. Zakopane Local Customs
  6. Poznan Local Customs
  7. Szczecin Local Customs
  8. Oswiecim Local Customs
  9. Katowice Local Customs
  10. Lodz Local Customs
  11. Lublin Local Customs
  12. Sopot Local Customs
  13. Torun Local Customs
  14. Bialystok Local Customs
  15. Tychy Local Customs
  16. Czestochowa Local Customs
  17. Rzeszow Local Customs
  18. Kazimierz Dolny Local Customs
  19. Wieliczka Local Customs
  20. Bydgoszcz Local Customs
  21. Gdynia Local Customs
  22. Mazury Local Customs
  23. Malbork Local Customs
  24. Pszczyna Local Customs
  25. Suwalki Local Customs
  26. Gliwice Local Customs
  27. Swinoujscie Local Customs
  28. Bialowieza Local Customs
  29. Hel Local Customs
  30. Wadowice Local Customs
  31. Poznan Local Customs
  32. Tarnow Local Customs
  33. Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Local Customs
  34. Kolobrzeg Local Customs
  35. Rybnik Local Customs
  36. Sandomierz Local Customs
  37. Tatrzanski Park Narodowy Local Customs
  38. Gniezno Local Customs
  39. Kolbuszowa Local Customs
  40. Zgorzelec Local Customs
  41. Bukowina Tatrzanska Local Customs

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hello everyone, My name is Gloria from Rome and I'm coming to Poland soon for a pilgrimage following the history of your... 

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A: Hi Gloria! From Krakow, I'd recommend that you pay a visit to Wadowice, the home town of Pope John Paul 11 - visit the cathedral where he served - then the house where he... 

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