The Polish community of the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast presented typical Polish Christmas traditions to other members of the Headquarters during the Polish Christmas Eve Supper, which took place on December 17th, 2008 at the Baltic Barracks.
The Polish Christmas Eve Supper was organised on the initiative of Lieutenant General Zdzisław Goral, the MNC NE Commander. Although the event took place a few days prior to the real event, the Polish community put a lot of effort in creating the Christmas atmosphere and bringing closer to all the guests the traditions related to the Christmastime in Poland. The opening word belonged to Lieutenant General Goral, who welcomed all the guests and emphasized the uniqueness of Christmas Eve quoting a Polish song by the Red Guitars band:
"There is such a day,
A very warm December day
And though ordinary it is
All quarrels fade away"
Then, the ceremony started. There was turning on lights on a huge Christmas tree, saying a prayer together, and listening to Christmas carols sang by boys’ choir "Słowiki" from Szczecin. Nevertheless, the most important moment, just like during a real Christmas Eve, was exchanging Christmas greetings between all the gathered people. After that, everybody could taste traditional Polish delicacies, like borsht with ravioli, different types of fish, dumplings, cakes and many others.
It is important to mention that all guests had not only a chance to touch upon Polish Christmas tradition, but also to listen about its root and history. This may enrich their knowledge about this tradition and the Polish culture in general.
The Polish Christmas Eve Supper was in fact the last big event organised before Christmas. Now, it is time for everybody to get carried away with the Christmas atmosphere and preparations for this special family time, the most magic time of the year…
