New Year - a holiday that is waiting for both adults and children. But the traditional family feast is already quite fed up. Therefore, I want to somehow diversify the
winter holidays and celebrate the holiday in a slightly different setting. Those who are not ready for radical changes and do not want to change the traditional Christmas tree for a palm tree, can be invited to celebrate the New Year in Poland.
Holidays in this country begin on December 24 (on the eve of
Catholic Christmas), and end on January 2. Christmas for the Poles is a family holiday, everyone gathers at a table where 12 dishes are always served (as many as the apostles). Moreover, they are all lean, and you need to try each. In addition, this night there is no alcohol on the tables; it is replaced by compote. At midnight, believers go to the temple.
When Christmas is celebrated, the Poles try to leave the city, the streets are empty, and during this period Poland becomes the most attractive. Tours for the New Year these days are good because you can safely see all the sights, because there are very few people in cities and you don’t have to get through the crowd.
Citizens return by the evening of December 31. Unlike Christmas, the New Year in Poland is celebrated mainly not in a narrow family circle, but in cheerful companies. To get to a restaurant on this night is very problematic, so places must be booked in advance. By the way, if we are talking about restaurants, then it is worth mentioning the traditional New Year's dishes, which you definitely need to try. This is a chocolate cake, strudel, dumplings, porridge with prunes. The New Year's table is not complete without fish dishes.
But the New Year's Eve in this country is not only a feast of the stomach. The main action is transferred to the streets and squares. Moreover, each city has its own program. Indescribable sensations will give Krakow. All the main fun takes place on the Market Square. There they put the so-called Christmas houses, which depict the events of the Holy Scriptures. Fans of all unusual can meet the coming year underground - in salt mines. There are not only guided tours, but also fun parties are organized. It is no less exciting to celebrate the New Year in Poland if you go to one of the ski resorts: Zakopane, Shirk, Krynica ... The most famous place is Zakopane. There is something to see there without skiing. And for those who decided to celebrate the New Year 2014 in Poland, who really want to visit this European country, it is worth paying attention to the mountains. The best time for this is the first half of the first month of the year. Those who celebrated holidays here have already left, and the winter holidays for schoolchildren and students have not yet begun. And this means that there will be few people here.
In general, the New Year in Poland is a noisy, cheerful and vibrant holiday. But do not be surprised if they ask you: “Where do you go to Sylvester?” That's exactly what locals call New Year, or rather December 31 - St. Sylvester Day. That was the name of the
Pope, who died on December 31, 335. He was very revered by the people, and therefore his favorite holiday is called by his name. And according to tradition, “Sylvester” is celebrated cheerfully: with champagne splashes, dancing and fireworks.