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It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year here in wintry Warsaw. The first snow flakes have already licked the eyelids of many a Varsovian and City Hall has once again outdone itself with their tree trimming and hall decking. The holiday season of course brings with it a flurry of events, concerts and religious celebrations. Poles take Christmas extremely seriously and the main event actually goes down on Christmas Eve when families gather around the table to a 12-course meatless feast featuring all sorts of delicious dishes from fishes. Read more about Polish Christmas traditions and where to find the best Christmas shopping: Christmas Fair in Wola, Christmas Fair at the Barbican, Slow Weekend: Christmas Gifts.
New Year’s Eve is another story altogether and it just happens to share its name with a certain American action movie star (Sylwester!). Warsaw will be bursting at the seams with private parties, gaudy galas and packed public spectacles of the rework and popstar variety. Check for all of IYP’s New Years Eve recommendations. Let us know how you enjoyed the holiday in Warsaw on our Facebook page or just good old-fashioned email.
Main Feature: Christmas in Warsaw
Christmas always seems a bit more ‘Christmasy’ to us when it comes with both a bit of good old-fashioned tradition and a wintry climate in which to enjoy it. And we’re clearly not the only ones, as demonstrated by the insistence of lmmakers to conjure up snow-dusted streets in places like the UK (think Love Actually, etc.) at Christmas time, when in reality a ‘white Christmas’ in places like London comes around only once in a blue moon. If that’s what you’re after, welcome to Poland, where a snowy ‘święta’ (holiday) is almost guaranteed and there’s a full calendar of holiday customs and traditions (most of them Catholic in character, of course) that will surely make your experience here a unique, and even at times completely foreign one. We help you get into the local spirit by detailing them, so you’ll be well-read and ready when you find yourself smitten in mittens beneath the mistletoe.
A Closer Look: Hala Koszyki
Two of the best parts of the holiday season are eating and shopping! There’s no better place to do both than in the newly opened and uber trendy Hala Koszyki. Read all about what treasures await you in this fully renovated and utterly glorious Secessionist Urban Market.
