Religion and festive days in my

life

Personal relation to festive daysSince birth I have been brought up in the Christian religion. We

have gone to church every Sunday, we have celebrated Christmas together in December, and Easter on April.

Every year the Christmas scheme is the same and is always associated with faith and tradition. What's more, in my house, my parents especially care about family recipes and customs. I really like spending the holidays surrounded by my family, even at birthday parties or at Sunday dinners, when we always invite a large part of our family. Typically, these dinners are organized

by my grandmother in our family house. I'm sure that in the future I will take care and nurture these habits which I have carried from home. I believe that such

simple traditions are the basis our society and help us taking care of out culture as a nation.

Family tradition of celebrating special occasions

As I have previously mentioned, traditions are very important for me and my family. For example, we always have a Christmas tree and we 12 dishes on Christmas which symbolize 12 apostles.

Free space at the table

The habit of leaving a space at the table during Christmas Eve is a well-known and popular tradition in Poland.In my family home we also leave one place at the table. This space is reserved for an unexpected guest. Leaving a space at the table also symbolizes the memory of our loved ones who can not spend Christmas with us or can also honor the memory of a deceased family member.

Singing Christmas carols

An integral part of Christmas Eve in my home is singing carols in the living room next to the Christmas tree and the Christmas crib. The songs tell us the story of the birth of Jesus. They are very happy and rhythmic. My whole family loves to sing them all night long.

First Star

In Poland – and also in my home, Christmas Eve supper starts when the youngest member of the family sees the first star appeared on the sky. This tradition comes from the star of Bethlehem which, according to the Evangelist – St. Matthew, is the star that sages saw when they wanted to find a way to the newborn Jesus in a crib.

Breaking the waferThe most important moment during Christmas

Eve in Poland is the habit of breaking the wafer. This tradition comes from the ancient custom that survived from the early centuries of Christianity. Christmas Eve refers to the feasts of the early Christians, organized to commemorate the Last Supper. This custom is also meant to be some sacrifice for others and teaches us the we should divide to the last piece of bread. We make a wish for prosperity and forgive bad things from the past.

Midnight Mass

Midnight Mass ends Christmas Eve in my home. This Mass is celebrated in churches always at midnight. According to Polish tradition, it commemorates the arrival of the shepherds to Bethlehem and submission of their homage to the newborn Jesus. The habit of exercising the Christmas Liturgy at night was introduced in the second half of the fifth century.

Pupil’s relation to the significance of religious traditions

To sum up, I believe that taking care of tradition is one of the most important things in the life of a young patriot. Each one of us should take care of the smallest, seemingly unimportant things. I think that only by transferring this traditions related with Christmas and also with Easter to the new generations, they are able to survive for many years.