In December 2024, our school hosted a nativity play (Jasełka) performed by the younger classes, as well as Christmas workshops that brought parents and children together. It was a day full of emotion and shared preparations for Christmas.
The school’s account of the day opened with these words:
The whole world suddenly changes. Houses nestle up to the stars. All around, it is white with Angels. And a festive glow shines in children’s eyes…
an excerpt from a poem
The younger classes’ nativity play
The festive glow shone not only in the children’s eyes, but also in the hearts of their parents and grandparents – and in all of us. The younger classes’ performance moved us deeply. The young actors, in white costumes and paper crowns, appeared on a darkened stage holding lights in their hands.
The nativity play (Jasełka) is one of the most vibrant Polish Christmas traditions. Its name comes from the Old Polish word ‘jasła’, meaning a manger, and plays about the birth of Jesus have their roots in medieval religious pageants. To this day they are staged in schools and parishes, including in Polish communities abroad.
Christmas workshops with parents
On the same day, Christmas workshops were held with parents taking part. Children and adults together made baubles to hang on the Christmas tree, as well as other Christmas decorations. There was also time for conversation and for feasting together at the festive table.
The custom of decorating a Christmas tree took hold in the Polish lands in the 19th century. Before that, many homes hung a podłaźniczka from the ceiling – the top of a fir or spruce decorated with apples, nuts and ornaments made from Christmas wafer (opłatek). Handmade baubles hark back to the old tradition of home-made decorations, prepared together by the whole family.
To close, the school wished everyone a wonderful Christmas and announced further gatherings in 2025.
