04/29/2008 04:28 PM

May Celebrations

Guest blogger Ed Gawlinski sent me this short post about celebrations in May… On May 5th a lot of people in the United States are going to have tacos or burritos for lunch to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. On May 5th of 1862 Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halted a French invasion of Mexico in [...]

02/23/2008 03:22 PM

The Symbolism of the Egg

As Easter approaches, it’s natural to think a little about eggs! In days gone by the egg, due to its shape, was a symbol of the earth. Thanks to its obvious association with the beginning of life, it has also been the basis of many ancient creation stories. It has been a symbol [...]

02/20/2008 02:30 PM

Elaborately Decorated Eggs for Easter In Eastern Europe

Guest Blogger, Ed Gawlinski, has been involved in many cultural organizations throughout his life. Here, he discusses Easter traditions in several Eastern European cultures. A common custom is to color hard boiled eggs for Easter. We usually colored them on Good Friday, while eating hot cross buns… Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns, one ha’ penny, two [...]

02/19/2008 01:26 PM

Lent Season and Pancakes

Guest Blogger, Ed Gawlinski, has been involved in many cultural organizations throughout his life. The season of Lent has started. Lent is a season during which Christians prepare for Easter. The English custom is to start Lent by having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). A children’s rhyme goes [...]

02/11/2008 02:25 PM

Could Someone Help with an English Translation of the Polish Song “Krakowiaczek Ci Ja” (I am from Cracow)?

We have a version of the Polish song “Krakowiaczek Ci Ja” (I am from Cracow) that’s called “Krakowiaczek jeden” (One Man from Cracow). Recently, I was emailed a version of the song called “Krakowiaczek Ci Ja” (I am from Cracow). However, I wasn’t sent a full English translation. Here’s the song I [...]

12/29/2007 10:48 PM

Symbolic Foods Eaten Around the World for New Years

In many parts of the world, the foods eaten on New Years Eve and New Years Day have important symbolic meanings. These symbols seem to fall into several major categories. The first class symbolizes financial prosperity. This type of food is round like coins. Often, the dish will be round beans, like lentils, [...]

12/08/2007 04:14 PM

Silent Night - A Christmas Song that’s Popular around the World

Silent Night was originally a German Austrian song called Stille Nacht which was written as a poem by Joseph Mohr in 1816 and set to music by his friend Franz Gruber in 1818. John Freeman Young translated Stille Nacht into the English version called Silent Night that’s so well known today. He was an Episcopal [...]

12/05/2007 01:52 PM

The St. Nicholas Tradition in Poland and a Way to Teach Your Children about Holiday Customs Around the World

Ed Gawlinski wrote to me about his family’s holiday traditions. His letter shows how you can be creative and expose your children to many different customs around the world at this time of year… Lisa, The Polish Custom is for Saint Nicholas (świętego Mikołaja) to bring children presents on December 6th …. The traditions that go [...]

07/19/2007 12:29 PM

Can Anyone Help with a Polish Poem about a Brother and a Sister Riding Through a Village?

Diana wrote: My father passed away and I miss him. He always sang many songs in Polish and Russian, but one poem in particular that I called my own he always told me before I went to bed was… Jadom jadom dzecie drogu szochika I brat... Do you have the entire verse? It’s about a brother [...]

05/26/2007 03:02 PM

Can Anyone Help with a Polish Nursery Rhyme That Sounds Like “Oushi Coushi Wapchee”

Mike wrote: Hi Mamalisa, In my family we have a nursery rhyme that we sing to babies… we have always been told that it means something to the affect of a chicken with his head cut off or something like that. This is at least two generations from anyone who could actually speak Polish, so [...]