Introduction
Poland is the country located in Central Europe with the capital in the city of Warsaw. It is bordered by several other countries: by Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, by Germany to the West, by the Baltic Sea and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the north, by Lithuania to the north-east and by Ukraine and Belarus to the east. The total population of the country is almost 38,5 million people, which are 7.6% of the total population of the European Union, the member of which Poland has been since May 2004. Official language in the country is Polish.
The purpose of this essay is to discover and describe Poland in more details and to focus especially on its several cultural and historical aspects including religion, traditions and major holidays, historical sites and cultural dos and don’ts.
Religion
The main religion in Poland is Catholicism, and around 90% of the total population are Roman Catholics, however this number might be not very accurate because it includes only those people, who are baptized. However, anyway Catholicism is the major religion in the country and it is even included in school curriculum as one of the subjects. Besides Catholicism, there are also people of other religions living in Poland such as Byzantine Catholics (Uniates), Armenians, Orthodox Christians, Evangelical Reformed, Old-Believers and some others. There are also many communities of Muslim, Hare Krishna sans Jews.
There are many religious places in Poland that are considered to be holy by Catholics. One of the most well-known is the monastery of Jasna Gora located in Czestochowa. The Church of the monastery has the miraculous icon of Black Madonna. It is considered to be a unique relic that every year on the 15th of August, which is the Day of the Assumption of Saint Mary, attracts thousands of pilgrimages from the whole Europe. (Religion)
Major holidays
There are many different holidays in Poland, but three majors are Christmas, Easter and the Day of Independence of Poland. Christmas in Poland is celebrated on the 25th of December, as in the most of countries. However, there are several Polish traditions that make this holiday very special for Poland. For example, Polish people always clean the house or apartment before Christmas. They believe that is the house is clean both inside and outside on Christmas, it will be also clean during the whole next year. Actually, everything what happens on Christmas has an impact on the following year according to the beliefs of Polish people. Therefore, weather also plays an important role. For Polish a real Christmas is the white Christmas, therefore everyone is happy when there is snow on the Christmas Eve. Christmas supper called Wigilia is the most important element of the whole holiday. Polish people always leave one spare place at the table for those who cannot join them for dinner. They might be deceased relatives or friends, who could not come. Also, this spare place and plate represents Polish hospitality: they believe that no one should be alone on Christmas, therefore lonely strangers or homeless people are always welcome to join them for Christmas supper. (Polish Christmas Part I)
Easter in Poland is another important holiday that is celebrated according to Western Roman Catholic Calendar; therefore the dates of celebration might vary from year to year. Easter Sunday is always celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of the spring. Though traditions of this holiday are associated with Christianity, their roots go back to paganism. One of the most important and evident sign of coming Easter are Churches decorated inside with the dried flowers that are used instead of palm branches because it is impossible to find palms in Poland. The celebration of Easter already starts a week before, and the following seven days called Palm Sunday represent the entering of Jesus to Jerusalem. On Saturday before Easter, Polish people boil eggs and then colour them. Though there are many modern techniques to colour eggs, most people prefer a traditional way to do it and use onions skins. Egg painting is an old Slavic tradition that started more than 5000 years ago as a pagan ritual. On Easter Sunday Polish people gather at the table, eat coloured eggs, ham, piece of cake, bread and some other traditional food. Easter food is also brought by many people to Church in order to bless it by priests. (Jazowska)
Historic sites
Poland is the country with a long and interesting history; therefore there are many old historical cities and towns with historic sites. The most visited and historical places in Poland are Krakow, Poznan, Gdansk, Sandomierz and Wroclaw. According to the statistics, Poland has in total 13 historic places that are included into the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Among them are Malborl, the largest Medieval castle in Europe; Auschwitz – Birkenau Museum that is tragically well-known because of the largest concentration camp that was located there; the historic center of the cities Krakow and Warsaw; Bialowieza Forest that is the most well-known National Park in Poland that is believed to be one of the most visited places in Poland – every year approximately 100 000 tourist come to Bialowieza Forest in order to see its unique nature and biosphere. (Historic sites)
Besides above mentioned places, there are also many other historic sites that make Poland one of the most visited and touristic countries in the Central Europe.
Cultural Do’s and Don’ts in Poland
As any other country in the world, Poland has its own culture and specific cultural rules that tourists coming to Poland need to know in order not to show disrespect to polish people.
One of the most important Do’s in Poland is always taking off your outdoor shoes when you are coming inside of somebody’s house or apartment. There is the same rule for outdoor clothes in general: usually there is always a hanger for outdoor clothing next to the door.
It is always important to know that it is not common to smile at strangers in Poland. However, it does not mean that Polish people are unfriendly – it is just a cultural characteristic because people in Poland are more reserved than people of other nations.
Since hospitality is one of the main features of Polish people, it is also important to be grateful if you are invited for a dinner to somebody’s house. Therefore, one of the ways to show your gratitude is to try a little of everything on the table, even if there is too much food.
Conclusion
Summarizing all the written above about Poland, it is possible to draw a conclusion that Poland is a very interesting country with unique culture, traditions, customs, holidays and people. Though it shares some characteristics with the rest countries of the world, it has its own specific features and characteristics, as well as cultural do’s and don’ts and cultural rules that are needed to be followed and respected in order to make a stay in Poland pleasant and unforgettable.
Works Cited
Jazowska, Marta. “Polish Easter Traditions”. Culture.pl, 2014. Web. 15 March 2016.
“Historic Sites” Poland’s Official Travel Website. European Union European Regional Development Fund. n.d. Web. 15 March 2016
“Polish Christmas Part I”. Polish Traditions and Customs. Polish Traditions and Customs. n.d. Web. 15 March 2016.
“Religion”. Staypoland.com:Poland made perfect. Poland Travel Gateway: Hotel, Tours, Cars, Events. n.d. Web. 15 March 2016
