Poland+Culture

= Culture =



Beliefs and Traditions

 * ** Religion: **In terms of religious beliefs, 89.8% percent of poles are Roman Catholic (though some 75% are believed practitioners), 1.3% are Eastern Orthodox, some 0.3% are protestant, and and another 8.3% are considered unspecified. Like most cultures, religion plays an integral role in the culture of the people. In Poland, religious holidays are especially important. Religious holidays are often nationally recognized and local businesses are closed as a result of them. For example: Christmas is a major religious holiday in Poland- celebrating such typically last nearly two-and-a-half days. During this time, Poles share a delicious wafer (sometimes referred to as angel bread) among their families as they make well-wishes and decrees for the following year. This ritual is also exercised at Christmas Parties. Another religious holiday that is often observed is All Saints Day which is celebrated on November 1st. On this day, Poles visit the burial sites of their loved ones to pay their respects (Kwintessential, 2011).
 * **Holidays:** In addition to the above listed holidays, there are others that are widely celebrated throughout Poland. One holiday that I found interesting was the Name Day. On a Polish Calendar, almost every day of the year a name of a saint is written on it. If you possess the same name as the saint on that day, you will be celebrated. Name days are celebrated on an even larger scale than birthdays (Poland.pl.pl, 2011). Other holidays include:
 * 1) 1 January - New Year's Day
 * 2) 6 January - Three Kings Day (The Epiphany)
 * 3) Easter
 * 4) Easter Monday
 * 5) 1 May - International Workers’ Day
 * 6) 3 May - May-3rd-Constitution Day
 * 7) Pentecost
 * 8) Corpus Christi
 * 9) 15 August - The Assumption of the Virgin Mary
 * 10) 1 November - All Saints' Day
 * 11) 11 November - National Independence Day
 * 12) 25 December - Christmas Day
 * 13) 26 December - Boxing Day

Food


Food is another major part of Polish Culture. Every part of daily food intake is deeply rooted in Poland's history. Because Poland has such heavy connections to Catholicism, rituals of feasting and meatless fasting has a great influence as several meatless dishes are added to the polish diet. When meat is consumed, it is done with great precision. According to //[|Food in Every Country],// some of the Polish's favorite meats to prepare include a "meat stew called //bigos// is often called the national dish of Poland. Other famous Polish dishes are //golabki// (cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice) and //golonka// (fresh ham served with horse-radish). Deserts are also loved by many Poles. Popular cakes eaten by the Polish are inclusive of cheesecake, poppy seed cake, and a pound cake called //bobka.// Special cakes are baked for feast days and weddings, and deserts are always enjoyed with every meal, along with soup and tea (2011).

Music
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Poland music has an extremely long history and is often credited to famed composers Chopin and Penderecki. With such historical impact, old genres of music such as classical and disco polo and folk music are very much respected to date. Now emerging are the genres of rock and roll and hip hop, but it's classic roots are ever reflected in every sound that can be heard. Poland also has an annual Music Festival that draws thousands of people each year (Map of the world, 2011)

Family
Poland has a very young marital rate. In many instances, the Polish marry before the age of twenty. Not being married past a certain age often lead to mockery. Marriage was often viewed from a religious perspective, and seen as a "holy responsibility in which everyone valued (Every Culture, 2011). This responsibility is highly regarded as one's obligation to their family and was always made top priority. Extended family members really aid in the forming social networks. The Polish regard etiquette in an extremely high manner and are slow to allow others to join their tightly knitted circle of family members and family friends. Families in Poland often include three generations- grandparents, parents, and children. The structure is also atypical in that women are the ones who work away from the home. While emphasis was once placed on the grandparents to rear the children, they now take on more of a role that assists in the socialization of the children. ([|Kwintessential], 2011).

Education
Poland has an aged tradition of former schooling. After the partitioning the country, only Germany expressed concern for educating Poland. In areas owned by Russia and Prussia, illiteracy continued to develop and the native language of Polish was never acquired- most people were taught Russian. When independence was regained in 1918, Poland worked together to restore and refine the fabric of education. By the year 2000, the illiteracy rate dropped to less than 1%, and they now own over 10 universities and several specialty schools (Every Culture, 2011).

References
 * Home Page || Geography || Culture || Questions || Classroom Activities || Teacher's Page ||

Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). //Countries and Their Cultures//. Retrieved December 7, 2011, from http://www.everyculture.com/

Food in Poland - Polish Food, Polish Cuisine - traditional, popular, dishes, recipe, diet, history, meals, staple, rice, famous, main, people, types, make, customs, fruits, country, bread, vegetables. (n.d.). //Food in Every Country//. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Poland.html

Poland - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. (n.d.). //Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training//. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/poland.html

Poland. (2011, November 15). // Central Intellence Agency Factbook //. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Poland Music. (n.d.). //World Map, Map of the World//. Retrieved December 4, 2011, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/poland/culture/music.html

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Poland.pl- Poland in Brief. (n.d.). //Information About Poland//. Retrieved December 4, 2011, from www.poland.pl/info/information_about_poland.htm

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Polska- the Official Promotional Website of the Republic of Poland. (n.d.). //Polska//. Retrieved December 3, 2011, from en.poland.gov.pl/

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Washington - Climate. (n.d.). //Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, house prices, home value estimator, recent sales, cost of living, crime, race, income, photos, education, maps, weather, houses, schools, neighborhoods, and more//. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from http://www.city-data.com/states/Washington-Climate.html

Created By: Marchanelle Flowers ©  maflowe@ilstu.edu   Date Created: November 28, 2011   Date Last Modified: December 12, 2011