I remember...

Christmas Eve of 1949 would make this photo 57 years old and there I am with my Hopalong Cassidy shirt on with my cousin. Our traditional 12-course Polish Wigilia dinner served on Christmas Eve didn’t vary much from year to year, but it was always meatless and usually included gefilte fish which as far as I remember only my grandmother ate. We figured this was proof enough that she wasn’t Polish Catholic but a Polish Jew! The dinner included cucumber, onion and sour cream salad; herring in sour cream and sweet vinegar sauce; hearty rye and pumpernickel breads; peirogi with sauerkraut, potato, cheese and fruit; carp when we could; and, sweets such as the following: dried fruit; kutia, a treat made from wheat, poppy seed, honey and almonds; poppy seed or honey cakes or strudel; rolls or bread.

The first thing is the tradition of sharing the Wafer (Oplatek) - Before beginning to eat. My grandmother and grandfather would begin the tradition by breaking and sharing of the Oplatek – a thin wafer (similar to communion host). They would face one another, then brake and share a part of the other's wafer. They wished each other fulfillment of their wishes. Then each one of my family members would brake and share the Oplatek with each other family member present.

Later in the night would be Pasterka or Midnight Mass but when I was little I couldn’t keep my eyes open past 10:00 P.M. Tonight I remember all those Polish relatives of mine that I shared Christmas Eve with that are no longer with me.