Let the Orchestra play!The first or second Sunday in January is when the Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy, WOŚP) takes place. What is it all about? WOŚP is one of the biggest non-governmental charity organizations in Poland, founded in 1993 to provide medical equipment to public hospitals […]
[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text] Christmas, the time of the year we all long for, is almost here. In a strongly Catholic country like Poland, it is one of the most important holidays, celebrated merrily and solemnly. The Poles have lots […]
The whole world is watching Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with excitement, as they have just announced that they are expecting a baby. That’s wonderful news! Congratulations for the parents-to-be! We may have no royal family and no royal babies to expect in Poland, but I daresay most Polish babies have quite luxurious lives, taking […]
We call it Złota Polska Jesień, the Golden Polish Fall. The weather in September and October is usually pleasant and the trees amaze with all their reds, oranges, yellows and browns, which altogether makes one just want to get lost somewhere in the middle of the woods and give oneself over to nearly every Pole’s […]
In his “Last Child in the Woods”, Richard Louv takes up the problem of children having less and less exposure to nature, which is most clearly visible in big cities. As a child, born and raised in Warsaw, the biggest city of Poland, I never really suffered from reduced exposure to nature and the present […]
The recent book fair in Warsaw and the celebration of Children’s Day on June 1st have inspired us to write a cycle of posts about Polish books in translation. Books are always a great idea for a present, especially for children, who benefit from reading at so many different levels. If your children’s or grandchildren’s […]
After long winter months, nature is waking up to life at an astounding pace. Birds chirping, trees blossoming, bees buzzing, sun shining, clouds sailing the blue sky slowly… doesn’t it make you want to grab a blanket, pack your picnic basket and forget about the everyday rush? Well, that’s how millions of Poles feel about […]
Christmas time is perfect for traveling to Poland. The streets of the main cities look adorable, adorned with lights. Walking around the Old Town in Warsaw or Kraków, you can try the tasty Polish food and buy presents on the Christmas market. But if you are planning a trip to Poland at the turn of […]
Happy New Year! Okay, happy Belated New Year, anyway. New Year’s Eve celebrations got very cosmopolitan in the last few decades, with most countries doing the same thing: concerts, fireworks and champagne. It was not always so, however, and there used to be some specific customs and superstitions that seem to dwindle under the strenght […]
You’ve probably heard, because these things get quite a coverage, about the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film going to a Polish movie called Ida. And you may have wondered what all the fuss is about – Oscars, BAFTAs, what’s going on? What’s going on is actually quite a normal occurrence when skilled artists […]
Okay, calling them baroque is a bit of poetic licence. And writing about Kraków is a bit of a cop-out. But bear with me, this is actually something special. Nativity scenes are such a common element of Christmas celebrations nowadays that it’s hard to imagine there was ever a time when they were a revolutionary […]
