Tag Archives: holiday tradition

Opłatek

CL: “Me and my family are very Polish. Though, despite that, we don’t really have many time-long Polish traditions that usually correlate with it. We don’t speak any Polish other than certain phrases, um, for certain occasions. Though one thing that we have done for the majority of my life is that around Christmas, um, in a pseudo-religious fashion, sort of an extension of Thanksgiving, to share thanks with our family members, and with those close around us we would break this sort of, like, wafer called opłatek, um, and give it to another family member that then you both would basically trade pieces. You would eat them, and then you would say something thankful about the other person. And, like, we’ve done that for the majority of my life, and, yeah, it’s just always been, like, a very time-honored thing.

Interviewer: Is that a rite of passage for your family?

CL: “It’s more so like a… It’s sort of just like a sort of favor or other thing to perpetuate tradition in that sense. So, it’s a, like, recurring ritual in that sense.”

Interviewer: “Do you know any other people who do that? Is that, like, a long-standing, family tradition?”

CL: “I know it was initially on my mother’s side. My entire mother’s family line has done this. As long as I have known. And, yeah, we’ve just been continuing to do it as I’ve grown up. It’s been a little bit harder to do it now, just because it’s actually harder to get. the wafers, but it’s still nice to always say things and sort of reiterate this symbolization of it around that time.”

Context: When discussing traditions in class, CL and I came around their family tradition of breaking opłatek around the holidays. It symbolizes thanks when given to a family member or loved one after being broken. It is a positive way to stay close to CL’s Polish roots and be connected to their culture.

Analysis: This tradition is a good example of how cultural practices can stay meaningful even when other parts of that identity aren’t as prominent in someone’s life. Still practicing and being a part of the culture, even if it is not your immediate culture, but your family’s line. The use of opłatek shows a direct connection to Polish heritage, even though CL’s family doesn’t speak much Polish or follow many other traditions. Breaking and sharing the wafer, along with saying something thankful, turns the moment into more than just a holiday activity; it becomes a way to express appreciation. The fact that it has been passed down through the mother’s side of the family also shows how traditions continue through generations, even if they become harder to maintain (like accessing the wafers). Overall, it highlights how traditions don’t have to be strictly religious or widely practiced to matter, but they can be simple and serve as a great way to help people feel connected to their family and cultural background.

Pass The Present


Text: It’s actually a newer tradition that I actually I really like. On Christmas, and other holidays, my grandma started doing this little game. She prints out these like sheets online, which is like it’s a ‘pass the present game,’ so people get presents. We all sit in a circle, and there’s some prompts that are like ok, pass the present to the youngest in the room. And then you give the random wrapped present to the youngest person in the room. Then she reads out the next one and it’s like give it to the most artistic person, and then you hand it to the person you thik. Give it to the person with the least amount of hair, then give it to that person. Give to the person with the most amount of hair..and it kind of just goes until the sheet ends, and then whoever ends up with the prizes gets to open up the presents. She did it at Christmas and Easter. I think she plans on doing it at Thanksgiving too cause it was really fun and we all enjoyed it.

Context: AL described this tradition when asked about holiday traditions. AL’s grandma would print out a sheet of paper with prompts. These prompts would have examples of people in the room, such as give prize to the youngest on the room, to the most artistic person, and to the one with the most/least amount of hair. Whoever read out the prompt would pick their person and give them a small prize from the grandma, and whoever had the most amount of prizes at the end could open the big present.

Analysis: This tradition shows how families can create new rituals that quickly become something everyone looks forward to. The game isn’t tied to culture or religion, but it still brings people together by making gift-giving more interactive and fun. The prompts encourage people to look at each other in a playful way, which can lead to jokes, competition, and laughter, making the moment feel more memorable than just handing out presents normally. Since the grandma leads the game and plans to use it for multiple holidays, it also shows how one person can shape and spread a tradition within a family. Also how one tradition can be translated to multiple holidays. It highlights how traditions don’t have to be old to be meaningful, they just need to create a shared experience that people enjoy and want to continue.