For Poles, This Is the Biggest Feast of the Year
Wigilia calls for 12 dishes on Christmas Eve, with a mushroom soup that steals the show
For generations, Poles in the homeland and in the U.S. have had a rich, delicious tradition on Christmas Eve. Wigilia, pronounced vi gil ya, is a bounty of mushroom soup, noodles, sauerkraut, poppy seed, fish, pierogi, fruit compotes, and other foods that make special the night-before-Christmas.
My family and millions of Poles the world-over consider this meal a vigil — hence Wigilia. Among Polish Catholics, it is one of the oldest and most cherished holidays of the year, and foods and customs from different regions in Poland have become part of an unbreakable tradition handed down through generations.
The extravagant spread is laid out on a white tablecloth with a few sprigs of hay placed under it. There is usually a place set for an unexpected visitor, and, typically, the ritual calls for 12 dishes, representing the Twelve Apostles.
For guests, the meatless meal that comes after a day of fasting is a ticket to sampling some foods that differ from everyday Polish dishes. Like a Passover Seder, if you had an invitation to the feast once, you hope to be back the next year for the camaraderie, as much as for the food and overeating of sweets.
