Poland
Family members and friends break off a small piece of the opłatek wafer and give it to one another along with a blessing. Breaking off and exchanging part of opłatek with someone is symbol of forgiveness between two people and is meant to remind participants of the importance of Christmas, God, and family.
A sample blessing can be religious "I wish you much health, happiness and the Lord's bountiful blessings as well as the fulfillment of all your plans and everything you wish for yourself" or secular, by wishing good grades to a child or good health to parents etc.
It is also common to put a "shared part" into the envelope while you're sending a Christmas card to someone close to you so that during Christmas Eve supper someone could share it with you as well as those personally present.
Another tradition, connected to the belief that during the Holy Night (the Night 24/25th Dec) animals could speak with a human voice, is to give the only coloured wafer to the farm animals. This tradition is sometimes maintained in the countryside.
The tradition of sharing the Opłatek, or Christmas wafer is one of the rich variety of traditions that is celebrated during Christmas Eve Vigil which is culturally the most important, elegant and sumptuous evening in the whole year.
Read more about this topic: Christmas Wafer
Famous quotes containing the word poland:
“It is often said that Poland is a country where there is anti-semitism and no Jews, which is pathology in its purest state.”
—Bronislaw Geremek (b. 1932)