The chaos of getting a lot of people and heaps of food into the same room suddenly subsides at The opłatek moment. First, pieces of opłatek are distributed to each guest. Then, maneuvering around the long crowded table, you meet privately with every guest one by one: huddled together and speaking in hushed voices, you exchange wishes for the next year. At the same time, you break off and eat a piece of each other’s opłatek.
I like this tradition since you share a moment of intimacy with each person. The Christmas spirit pours into the room and billows at this very minute.
But here’s the tricky part: if there are a lot of people at Wigilia, you have to be quick on your feet to think up various personal wishes. It’s like having to come up with a series of Hallmark greeting card wishes In a row— except that they have to sound like something people really say. The Top Ten Hit List of Wigilia Wishes are: health, wealth, peace, love, success, happiness, longevity, fewer problems, pride in the children and simply, all the best. Poles have a knack for looking deep into your soul and putting into words what you really want. “I wish you success and satisfaction with your work, good colleagues and dear friends,” I was told last year. “I wish you happiness in Poland even though you’re far away from friends and family,” said another.
Poles express their wishes so eloquently and sincerely that I get all choked up. By contrast, I feel cheap with my klutzy Polish, repeating stock wishes to different people. Determined to be as personal and heartfelt as I can, I look deeply in the person’s eyes and say, “Uh, well…I wish you…um…ahem…” The person waits, blinks patiently, and then finally says, “Health and happiness?” I say, “Yes! Of course! Hah! That’s it! I wish you health and happiness!” and move on to the next person: “Uh, well…I wish you…um…”
And then the kiddies. What should I say to them: “I wish you chocolate on a weekly basis,” “I hope you don’t get beat up at school anymore,” or “I wish you fewer skinned knees for the next year”?
Perhaps the best wish someone could offer me for the coming year is that more of the Slavic Soul rubs off on me.
Source:
“Shortcuts to Poland”, a book written by
Laura Klos Sokol
Published by IPS Warszawa