Polish Customs, Traditions & Folklore

Sophie Hodorowicz Knab

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Hippocrene Books Inc.,U.S.
05 February 2025

Cultural studies; Sociology: customs & traditions

""A richly detailed and well-informed month-by-month accountingof all the major Polish customs and traditions practiced over the centuries.

Ms. Knab stirs and reawakens our ancestral memory.""

The Kosciuszko Foundation Newsletter

Now in a paperback edition with illustrations, historical blackand white photographs, and color photographs throughout the book!

Thisunique, well-researched reference is arranged by month, showing the variousoccasions, feasts and holidays prominent in Polish culturebeginning withDecember it continues through Holy Week Customs, superstitions, beliefs andrituals associated with farming, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, midsummer, harvestfestival, wedding rites, Name Days, birth and death. There is also a chapter onPolish pastimes and games for children.

Many of the customs and traditions described in the book havebeen lost even in today's modern Poland. World wars, massive immigration, theloss of the oral tradition, urbanization and politics have changed the face ofa once agrarian people and their way of life throughout the calendar year. Thechanges, however, have not been able to erase the memory of that way of lifecompletely.

Manycommunities of the Polish diaspora throughout the worldstill feelconnected to Poland and choose to reenact harvest celebrations, remindingthemselves of their ancestors' reverence for the grains and gifts of bread. Thesharing of opatek, the Christmas Eve wafer, and the words of love whiledoing so, continue to bind family and friends together.

Although thepurpose and meaning may have been lost and forgotten, theoczepinyceremony(the unveiling) is still the mainstay of almost every wedding where the bridedeclares Polish heritage.

This invaluable resource isperfect for anyone who claims Polish ancestry, diligently practicing that whichthey learned at their parents' and grandparents' knees. It is for families whowish to teach Polish heritage and customs to their children, and for anyoneseeking to learn more about their Slavic roots.

By: Sophie Hodorowicz Knab
Imprint: Hippocrene Books Inc.,U.S.
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 25mm
ISBN: 9780781814515
ISBN 10: 0781814510
Pages: 340
Publication Date: 05 February 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Sophie Hodorowicz Knab is a noted Polish-American lecturer and author whose books include Polish Herbs, Flowers & Folk Medicine, Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook, and Wearing the Letter P: Polish Women as Forced Laborers in Nazi Germany, all published by Hippocrene Books. She is a contributor to the Polish American Journal and resides in Grand Island, New York.

Reviews for Polish Customs, Traditions & Folklore

“This collection is a tremendous asset to understanding the ethnic behavior of a people. Highly recommended.”--Florence Waszkelewicz-Clowes, Polish American Journal “There is nothing on the subject that even approaches this book in its breadth and authority. A prodigious amount of research has gone into the work, as well as sheer education and enthusiasm that keeps an author going, and searching and reading.”--Zgoda “Eagerly awaited…Most [readers] will be delighted to discover the many regional variations which enrich this informative guide.”--Polish Heritage