Today thousands of young Poles are celebrating their futures and hoping to catch a glimpse of their love-to-be, as part of St Andrew’s day. Traditional belief has it that on the night before St Andrew’s day, a young woman is able to “see” her future husband – although today both women and men celebrate the day with equal enthusiasm, hoping to discover the love of their life.
In Poland, traditional Andrzejki superstitions include pouring hot wax from a candle into cold water through a key hole – a future husband’s profession can be determined from the shape of the resulting piece of wax. It is also popular for young women to write the names of potential husbands on pieces of paper and then put them under their pillow. In the morning they take one out, which reveals the name of the husband-to-be.
While tradition and superstition abounds on St Andrew’s eve, it is now well known as a party night throughout Poland with young people across the country celebrating their youth. This year the celebrations will take place on a Saturday, making for a great party atmosphere and an ideal time for people to visit the country.
Another popular Andrzejki tradition involves unmarried young women lining up their shoes in a straight line one after the other starting at the back of a room. Once all the shoes are lined up, the person at the end takes their shoe and puts it at the front of the line, and so on, until someone’s shoe reaches the door. It’s believed that the owner of the first shoe to cross the threshold will be the first one to get married.
For more information about the Polish National Tourist Office visit www.poland.travel/en-gb
2009 is Polska! Year in the UK. For more information visit www.polskayear.pl
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