Artykuły~Articles

Both in Poland and across Polonia, the warmer months of the year provide numerous occasions for various fun, festivities and celebrations. Here are some of them.

Majówka – May outing (pronounced: mah-YOOF-kah): This is the name given to the year’s first picnics and outings. In our excessively complex, high-tech era there, this can mean nothing more than a family and/or group of friends getting together and heading for the nearest green patch of nature – a park, grove, woods, forest clearing, riverbank, etc. – with baskets of food and some blankets to spread it on and the picnickers on. If someone brings along an accordion, guitar or other instrument to entertain the gathering and/or accompany a sing-along, so much the better.

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By Rob Strybel, Polish/Polonian Affairs Writer

Unlike most other nations, the people of Catholic Poland tend to attach more importance to the feastday of their patron saint than to birthdays. In the past, this was common in other Catholic countries such as Austria and Bavaria (southern Germany) where the Namenstag was once widely celebrated. Birthdays with cakes and blowing out candles are now commonly held for children in Poland, largely as a result of the strong American influence with which television bombards today’s audiences. But, on into the early 21st century, among adults, imieniny (namedays) were still far more popular.

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