10 Polish New Year Traditions

We have already entered the month of Christmas and the very next big event to follow is New Year. On the New Year people come together as families and friends to wave goodbye to the old year and give a warm welcome to the New Year. People belonging to various countries and places practice different spiritually related traditions on the New Year with a good intention to attract fortune and good luck. The same goes with the Polish people who abide by the traditions of the New Year from ages. They follow some unique traditions on the New Year and we would like to present them here for you. If you want to get a sniff of the Polish New Year Traditions, here are some for you. Enjoy reading!

Polish New Year’s Traditions 

On the New Year you will get to see some quirky New Year traditions in the city of Poland and people over there observe them very strictly. Across the country on the New Year’s Eve you will get to witness concerts, dinners, special events at parks, fireworks etc. People gather on roads to catch the breath-taking view of the city on the last day of the year. The traditions followed by polish people revolve around making the New Year as prosperous as they can. There are number of traditions that are observed on the New Year by the Polish people even today. Here we shall be talking about the traditions that Poles follow on the New Year’s.

1. Huge Dinner 

Firstly, let us talk about Polish New Year Food Traditions as they sound interesting than others. The one tradition that Polish people living in cities love to follow even today is having huge dinner. Polish people believe that eating huge dinners on the New Year’s Eve will bring them success. Families come together to have massive dinners and the most common dishes served include loaves of bread and cake, meat, cabbage and peas. In order to be successful in the coming year, it is said that they should have a huge dinner on the last day of the year. This will also ensure that you were never hungry in the coming year.

2. Watching Fireworks 

Watching fireworks on the New Year’s Eve is also a popular tradition observed by Poland people. Poles wait all year long to catch the sight of fireworks on the New Year’s Eve. They enjoy watching fireworks while drinking lots of champagne. 

3. Kissing Beloved  

Kissing beloved as soon as the clock strikes midnight is said to improve bonding with them. The affection is believed to grow between the two in the coming twelve months if they kiss each other on the midnight. 

4. Ice Shower 

If you want to know kind-of adventurous Polish New Year’s Eve Traditions, this particular tradition is the one for you. In some regions of Poland, people wash their entire body with cold water before dinner. The water bowl should have a silver coin deep down it which should be untouched there. This tradition is believed to make one rich in the coming year.

5. Straw Wrapping 

In Poland, people wrap fruit trees with straw to protect them from the demons and to have a good harvest in the New Year. A slight variation to this tradition is burning straw in front of the house which is followed in north of Poland. The burning here resembles burning the worries and sorrows of the past year before stepping into the New Year. There was also this tradition where kids throw corn and peas at each other as it is believed to bring luck and money home in the New Year.

6. Carolers 

A little forward to the carnival time from New Year’s, local men get dressed up as carolers and travel around the town visiting houses acting and singing Christmas carols. According to the Polish people belief, the money or gift given to the carolers will come back in doubt doses to them. Carolers resemble abundance, peace and prosperity.

7. No Debts 

If you have any debts in your name, make sure to clear them before stepping into the New Year. As per the beliefs of Poles, one shouldn’t carry their debts to the New Year. They are meant to be cleared as soon as possible for a peaceful year ahead.

8. No Empty Cupboards 

We usually clean our house for Christmas and New Year. We re-arrange everything to bring the beautiful look to the house. We sometimes empty our cupboards, which is a sign of poverty according to the beliefs of Polish people. According to them, empty cupboards foretell a year of poverty.

9. Predict your Future 

If you are interested in predicting your future for the coming year, you must try this. Poles believe that the first person to enter the home after midnight will decide the luck in the coming year. For instance, if the first person is to enter the home is tall, dark, handsome man, it resembles good luck. Deeply going into this tradition, one shouldn’t step out of the home until and unless someone enters the house from outside.

10. Throwing Oats 

Another Polish New Year’s Day Traditions is to throw oats at each other on the New Year’s Day in the name of wishing. If you want to try this tradition, get read with handful of oats to wish your family and friends on the New Year’s.

Conclusion

The other not-so popular traditions followed by country people of Poland include opening doors and windows at midnight to let the year escape. Waking up early on New Year’s Day will let you awake early everyday in the coming year. So well, those were the Polish New Year Traditions that people used to practice sincerely in Poland once upon a time. Now, most of these traditions have vanished in the urban areas and if you want to witness them you have to visit countryside for that. If you want to give any of these traditions a try, do that and tell us how you felt on practicing them on the New Year. If you like our content, do bookmark our website – NEWYEARWIKI.COM and stay connected.

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