Feature: Traditional dishes make Christmas Eve in Poland special

Though Christmas is celebrated in most Western countries, Poland has plenty of unique customs to be proud of, such as fried carp, beetroot soup and poppy-seed cake, which are among 12 traditional dishes not to be missed during Christmas Eve supper celebrations.

Christmas Eve in Poland is a day of fasting followed by a feast. Polish people fast during the whole day, avoiding meat and any other satiating meal in order to commence a festive supper, called Wigilia, in the evening. Wigilia is a traditional meal that brings the whole family together. It can only begin after the first star appears in the sky, a star commemorating the Star of Bethlehem, which announced Jesus' birth.

Polish children anxiously watch the sky and once the star appears, the family is able to sit down at the dinner table.

Wigilia is traditionally commenced with the breaking of oplatek, a Christmas wafer made of wheat flour and water. The family gathers around the table, each holding a piece of oplatek, which is shared among the family members together with Christmas wishes. Everyone breaks off a small piece of each other's oplatek and consumes his share. As each person shares pieces of the wafer with one another, they are supposed to forgive each other any hurts that have occurred over the past year and wish them happiness in the coming year.

Another tradition is placing bits of hay underneath the white tablecloth to commemorate Christ, who was born in a manger. An empty place setting is traditionally left for an unexpected guest, who might be in need of food.

Once Wigilia supper begins, 12 traditional dishes must appear on the table, including mushroom soup, beetroot soup (or red borsch) with ravioli, sour cabbage with mushrooms, salad, and others. As meat is not allowed, fish is an important part of the meal, as the Poles consider fish a vegetarian food. Fried carp is the most popular dish, often accompanied by herring. Afterwards, sweets are consumed -- poppy-seed cake or noodles with poppy seed, as well as other cakes, cookies and compote made of dry foods. These dishes date back hundreds of years and represent components characteristic of Polish cuisine, especially cabbage and mushrooms.

After the meal, Christmas carols (koledy) are sung and children are allowed to unwrap the gifts placed under the Christmas tree. Both koledy and pastorals, another type of Christmas song, are sung. One of most popular songs, "Bog sie rodzi" (God is being born), was written in 1792 to a polonaise melody and became the Christmas hymn of Poland.

At midnight, a traditional mass called "Pasterka" is held, marking the beginning of Christmas. The first day of celebrations, Dec. 25, is mostly spent with family, while the second day, Dec. 26, is an opportunity to visit friends and further relatives. Endit