Lublin Food Tours

24/12/2021

𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞
In a few hours, my family and I will start to celebrate Christmas. It will be my 10th Christmas Eve in Poland. Having collected these experiences, I’d like to tell you a bit about family traditions which are pretty common in Poland.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫)
At Christmas Eve, you have at least 12 meat-free dishes and we receive presents from the star. The presents have to be bought and the food has to be prepared with some of the dishes being extremely labour-intense. And last but not least, the house has to be cleaned and decorated. My poor mamusia (mother-in-law) was working hard for days in a row to get things done. Luckily, we are able to order most of the traditional Christmas Eve dishes nowadays giving more peace to mamusia and supporting our local restaurants at the same time.

𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲
We have to wait until the first star appears in the sky before sitting down at the table. This tradition commemorates the Star of Bethlehem. To be honest, we cheat a bit with this tradition usually starting the dinner between 4 and 5 pm.

𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩ł𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐤
At the start of our meal, we say a prayer followed by, in my opinion, the most personal part of the evening. We start to share the Opłatek which is an unleavened wafer made of flour and water decorated with a religious image. Every family member and guest gets one and then shares pieces of it with everyone else. This is accompanied by exchanges of good wishes for the upcoming year. This tradition is linked to the breaking of bread at the Last Supper.

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞
One spot at the table is left empty. As many Poles, we set one extra place in case a person down on luck should show up and ask for shelter. So far it hasn’t happened. Nevertheless, the tradition requires that lone strangers should be taken in and treated as family members. There is enough food anyway!

𝐇𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡
As a way of remembering that, according to the Bible, the newborn Jesus was put in a crib to rest, hay is placed under the tablecloth. It should also bring good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!
Our kids are overly excited today. They know that they will receive presents from the Star after dinner. In my part of Poland, the tradition dictates that the star provides presents to kids and grownups.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟐 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞
I am sorry, I am not the biggest fan of the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dishes. Still, I will eat from every dish to secure good luck throughout the upcoming year. And in case there are more than 12 dishes on the table… we will try them all for additional good luck.

𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐭
No I am not under the influence - no alcohol is allowed during Christmas Eve anyway. According to an old Polish legend, animals are granted the gift of speech on Christmas Eve as a reward for their role in welcoming Jesus on Earth. We will give some Opłatek to the dogs and afterwards, I will try to get some words out of them. So far, I have failed, maybe better luck tonight.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Martin

01/08/2021

26/07/2021

07/07/2021

08/05/2021

Lublin - Z lotu ptaka

03/05/2021

Today marks the 230th anniversary of the ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝟛 𝕄𝕒𝕪, the second in the world 🌍 and the first in Europe written constitution.

What was May 3, 1️⃣7️⃣9️⃣1️⃣ like❓ Let's look at this day through the eyes of the Polish 🇵🇱 painter Jan Matejko.

The constitution was passed in the Royal Castle 🏰 in Warsaw in the Seym hall. Later, it was sworn in at St. John's church. The painter wanted to present in his work something that would be most characteristic of this event. He chose a scene that takes place between the Castle and the Church.

Did such a march actually take place❓Yes. At the request of King 👑 Stanisław August, after the adoption of the Constitution in the Castle, politicians went to the collegiate church of St. John to swear a new Constitution before God.

Please note that the painting 🖼️ does not represent a single historical moment. The painter's intention was to capture "the whole fact". In a painted scene, he wanted to tell about the events that preceded the main event and show events that followed. It was a great challenge❗

Matejko included people who participated in this event and those who have a symbolic meaning. The most obvious figures in the painting include: the Marshal of the Seym Stanisław Małachowski, carried on the shoulders (in a bright costume), King 👑 Stanisław August walking up the stairs to the church 🏰 (in a red coat) and behind him (in a black cassock) Hugo Kołłątaj, co-author of the constitution.

The king is greeted by the president of Old Warsaw, Jan Dekert, at the entrance to the temple. However, Dekert died a year before the Constitution was passed ... Is it a painter's mistake❓ No, this is obviously a deliberate procedure. Dekert fought for the rights of the townspeople. Such rights were enshrined in the Constitution. It is therefore a symbol of the events preceding its enactment.

On the right side of the painting, a young Prince Józef Poniatowski, the king's nephew. Prince Józef did command the army protecting the Castle that day, but he is also a symbol of future events. The prince will be the commander in the Polish-Russian war of the next year in defense of the Constitution. Likewise, the figure of Tadeusz Kościuszko (visible under Stanisław Małachowski's elbow) is a symbol of future events. Kościuszko's head is wrapped in a bloody bandage. It is an allusion to the wounds he would suffer in the lost Battle of Maciejowice during the 1794 uprising.

Before the parade with Małachowski being carried in the mountain, Matejko placed a lying nobleman tugging the child 👦. This scene happened in the Seym hall. Deputy Jan Suchorzewski, bribed by Russia, did everything to disrupt the deliberations. He even went so far as to threaten to kill his child if the Constitution was passed. Matejko also shows us how Suchorzewski was paid by the Russians: he was allowed to win cards.

Jan Matejko decided to offer Poles 🇵🇱🦅, on the hundredth anniversary, a work commemorating the adoption of the Constitution of 3 May. Matejko started painting the picture quite late, in January 1891. The beginning of work is sketching characters from live models, then painting architecture, costumes and refining faces. In May, the painting was not finished yet, but Matejko decided on the extraordinary - he allowed the unfinished work to be exhibited. The painting was presented to the public on May 3 in the Cloth Hall in Krakow. In the following months, the painter finished his work on the canvas.

Picture: "The Constitution of May 3, 1791" by Jan Matejko

02/05/2021

On May 2, we celebrate the Polish National Flag Day 🇵🇱. Do you know why the Polish flag is white and red?

Both in the past and today, colors were given meaning. White symbolized purity, order and nobility 🤴. Red was a symbol of fire 🔥 and blood, it also meant courage and bravery. For a long time, red was a privileged color, it was used by the most dignified and richest 💰. It was expensive to get a permanent red color. The red dye was made from the secretions of insects called scots ("czerwce" in Polish) hence the color's name ("czerwony" in Polish).

White and red appeared as national colors for the first time in 1792, during the celebration of the first anniversary of the Constitution on May 3. The ladies wore white dresses 👗girdled with red sashes, and the gentlemen wore white and red sashes. The Seym of the Kingdom 👑 of Poland, debating during the November Uprising on February 7, 1831, recognized white and red as national colors.

After regaining independence, on August 1, 1919, the Legislative Sejm passed the act on national emblems and colors, in which it was written: "The colors of the Republic of Poland are white and red, in longitudinal parallel stripes, the top of which is ˗ white, and the bottom ˗ red."

After twenty years of freedom, the Polish flag disappeared from public space. During the German 🇩🇪 occupation, displaying national symbols was punishable by severe punishment. Despite this, there have been numerous cases of celebrating forbidden national holidays with the use of the Polish flag. During the Warsaw Uprising, a specially marked white and red armband, worn on the right arm, replaced the Polish uniform.

The Polish National Flag Day is a holiday that was implemented under the Act of February 20, 2004 and is celebrated annually on May 2️⃣, since 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣4️⃣. The date of this holiday was not set by chance, namely it was to accompany Poles in the time of reflection between May 1 (known as the Labor Day) and May 3 (3 May Constitution Day). The aim of this holiday is to pay respect to the symbol of Poland.