The Poles celebrate the New Year with great warmth and gusto. Popular New Year festivities include a kulig or hayride into the forest with a bonfire and grand dinners with sausages and bigos.
Many customs, ceremonies and beliefs are associated with the New Year celebrations in Poland. Put a glance at some popular New Year Traditions in Poland. New Year's Eve in Poland is known as St Sylvester's Eve According to the folklore Pope Sylvester I is said to have imprisoned a dragon called Leviathan who was supposedly able to escape on the first day of the year and indulged in great mischief.
The demon had the power to devour the land and the people, and set fire to the heavens. On New Year's Day, when the demon was imprisoned there was great rejoicing and from then on this day was called St Sylvester's Eve.
There is a long lasting tradition to celebrate New Year's Eve in Poland at formal balls. Well known is the ball at the Warsaw Philharmonic Society , the ball at the castle in Golub-Dobrzyn attended by “the man of the year ”.
A New Year's Eve ball always begins with a polonaise. Other ancient New Year Traditions in Poland includes smearing windows and doorknobs with tar , or to hide pots that were left drying on a fence . All these naughty deeds were forgiven for they were believed to be ousting the old year. In some areas of Poland donuts were baked to ensure wealth for the whole year. Ring shaped were hidden at the dinner table and used for fortune telling.
For further information on New Year Traditions in Poland pay a visit to 123newyear.
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