Celebrating Christmas in contemporary Poland

Christmas, especially the Vigil of Christmas (Christmas Eve) is the most important feast for Polish families. On that day families gather around the table at the Vigil Supper, special dishes are served and various customs observed. The dishes may vary depending on the region in Poland, but the meaning is the same everywhere. In my article I describe preparations for celebration of Christmas, as well customs observed in Poland. First, basing on folklore written materials, I show, how it was in old times, then, basing on the results of the questionnaire distributed among students of the Jagiellonian University in January 2010, I move to contemporary Poland. Finally, by comparing these two sets of material, I conclude with pointing to the possible changes that might have occurred nowadays