Polish American Food: Christian Church Holidays and Foods

Wigilia is the Christmas Eve meal. It is a meatless meal whose number of dishes and attendees is often specifically an odd number. An unoccupied place setting may be left open for the arrival of the Christ child. The meal begins with a sharing of wishes and the breaking of the oplatek, a thin wafer that sometimes arrives by mail from relatives in Poland and is also sold in Polish stores or distributed through the church.

Swienconka, the blessing of Easter food baskets, is another important holiday ritual. It is celebrated on Holy Saturday and provides a link between the sorrow of the Crucifixion on Good Friday and the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, a table set with Easter foods was blessed by a priest in a private service that took place in individual homes. Although it may still take place there, in the twenty-first century the blessing is delivered more commonly in a public church service.