Friends and family (Przyjaciólmi i rodzina):
On behalf of the “Koledy Polskie” organizers, we want to invite you, your families and friends to join the “Koledy Polskie” on Sunday, December 26, 2010 at 1 p.m. in Chappell Hill, Texas at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. This will be our third annual “Koledy Polskie” and we hope that you will invite your families and friends to join in this historic Polish tradition. We encourage everyone to bring a Polish covered dish for our evening meal and fellowship. You may bring it to Jozwiak’s store early so that it will stay warm. Also, we are asking everyone to bring a candle for the candle light vigil at dusk. This year, we are planning to have a bus that will seat 50 and we encourage car pooling to help reduce the number of vehicles in procession. We will convene in the St. Stanislaus parking lot and can leave vehicles there until we return.
To get participants to dress in costume, the ticket to riding the bus will be that you must be dressed in “Koledy Polskie” costume. This is an old Polish custom dating back to the 14th century and we would like to honor that tradition. You do not need to have anything fancy or buy an expensive costume. You can dress as a beggar, an angel, a Shepard, a devil, St. Nicholas, etc. and make a homemade costume.
The first day after Christmas, December 26 is known as St. Stephens Day and was traditionally the first day outside of the home after Christmas to visit friends and family until Epiphany, January 6 the 12th day of Christmas singing “Koledy Polskie”. Please join us in celebrating the true meaning of Christmas by sharing your time with friends and family honoring the birth of Jesus Christ.
2010 “Koledy Polskie” Schedule
Third Annual
12:30 p.m. Convene at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
1:00 p.m. Sing on the steps of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and take a group photo
1:15 p.m. Regina Jaworski
1:30 p.m. Moszkowicz family
1:45 p.m. Leave for Gurka farm with bus and car procession
1:50 p.m. Mystery visit
2:15 p.m. Gurka family
3:10 p.m. Leave for Mikolajchak farm
3:30 p.m. Mikolajchak family
4:25 p.m. Leave for St. Stanislaus Catholic Church to unload bus
4:40 p.m. Stop at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church to pick-up vehicles and unload bus
4:50 p.m. Leave for Faterkowski farm
5:00 p.m. Faterkowski farm
5:40 p.m. Leave for St. Stanilaus Catholic Cemetery
5:45 p.m. Candle light vigil at the cross of John Kmiec
6:10 p.m. Leave for Jozwiak’s Store
6:15 p.m. Fellowship, music and Polish Pot Luck Supper furnished by participants ( Polish recipes )
Once again, we look forward to celebrating “Koledy Polskie” with each of you and passing our Polish traditions down to another generation of Polish decedents. Help us in making this year’s “Koledy Polskie” the most memorable and fun to date!
Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Jim
P.S. Below is a short history about “Koledy Polskie”.
Christmas Carols – Koledy
The Polish word for Christmas carol is koleda (pronounced kolenda) and it comes from the Latin word “calendae,” meaning the first day of the month. Koledy are mostly anonymous, having been created by the Polish people over the centuries. Koledy date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and while they did start out as hymns to be sung during Mass, they quickly found their way out of churches to the populace, where they took on a colorful life of their own.
You can hear strains of Polish folk melodies and popular tunes in many koledy. They are tender and humorous as often as they are joyful or exalted. The miraculous story of the birth of Baby Jesus, the Son of God, in a humble stable, surrounded by animals and shepherds, appealed to the popular imagination and resonated with the people, resulting in the creations of hundreds of carols over the years, both religious and humorous, that retell this story in many different ways. Many koledy are regional and not as well-known as the more traditional ones that we sing in our homes today. Poland has a larger cannon of Christmas carols than any other Christian nation.
Carolers are called kolednicy and they walk from house to house between Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany, carrying a star on a pole and a Nativity scene. They usually wear folk costumes or dress up as angels, shepherds, kings, sometimes also as devils or the Grim Reaper. They enact Nativity plays, often with a touch of comedy added, along with the singing of carols. They are treated to food and drink and sometimes offer gifts in return.
See the article and photos of last years Koledy Polski.
Jim Mazurkiewicz is a Texas native whose family originally settled in Washington County, Texas at the turn of the twentieth century. His family still owns and operates the family farm in Chappell Hill. He graduated from Waller High School and received a B.S. and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a Masters from Texas Tech University. Dr Jim is currently a Professor and Extension Specialist for Leadership Programs as TALL Director for Texas AgriLife Extension a member of The Texas A&M System and its statewide Agriculture Program. Jim takes great pride in his Polish heritage and plays Polish music on his concertina accordion.