Saturday, 26 December 2015

Nativity in my small town

26th December

So Christmas 2015 is a history. Today is Saturday in Poland we don't celebrate Boxing Day but we celebrate Saint Szczepan Day or the second day of Christmas - is somebody doesn't believe in God. . It is national holiday, too so the all shops are closed. People celebrate with their families

Second Day of Christmas in Poland

Many people in Poland have a day off work on December 26 to celebrate the second Day of Christmas. Also known as St Stephen’s Day or Holy Szczepan, this national holiday is part of the Christmas holidays.

"Santons"visit the new-born child Jesus. — Nativity scenes are seen in many churches in Poland during the Christmas/Boxing Day period.

What Do People Do?

Together with Christmas Eve (Wigilia) and Christmas Day, Boxing Day is an important event that is celebrated in many Polish homes. Many churches host special services on Boxing Day, which is also a day for families to meet up and spend time together. Popular St Stephen’s Day activities include reenacting scenes of the Nativity in a play, as well as caroling with a crib (szopka) or star to homes.

Public Life

The second Day of Christmas is an official public holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. There is a trade prohibition on public holidays in Poland. People intending to travel via public transport during public holidays must check with the public transit authorities on any changes to time schedules.

Background

Many Christians in Poland and around the world celebrate St Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas Day. It is also known as the second day of Christmas. St Stephen’s Day commemorates a Christian saint, Stephen, who is believed to be the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death sometime around the year 33 CE.

( from Wikipedia).

In my small town local authorities install Nativity as every year.It looks interesting. All statues are made of wood by local sculptures.

Nativity scene

Baby Jesus

In the background local church - the only one in the town.

14 comments:

Dina26 December 2015 at 02:22
Happy St. Stephen's Day, Gosia!
Those wooden Nativity characters are really special, so unique. Thanks for showing them to us.
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Nancy Chan26 December 2015 at 03:26
Hello Gosia, Happy St. Stephen's Day. The wooden characters of Nativity are indeed interesting. Thanks for sharing.
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Green Thumb26 December 2015 at 03:36
The Nativity Belen is nice. We have it on our churches too but its made of local materials here. We are on a long Holiday from the 24th to 27th. Hooray for Christmas!
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Huggybear26 December 2015 at 12:45
The Catholic Cathedral here in Brisbane is called St. Stephens.
Right next to it is the original church now a small chapel
honouring Australia's first saint - a nun who taught in Brisbane, St Mary MacKillop. You can google for further information and photos. Naturally the cathedral and the chapel
are heritage listed and are tourist attractions.
This holiday period here finishes on the 29th.

Interesting report on St Stephen's day in Poland.
Cheers
Colin
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Linda26 December 2015 at 17:22
Your photos are lovely. Happy St. Stephen's Day to you, Gosia. :)
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Margaret D26 December 2015 at 17:51
Interesting on St. Stephen's Day. Here it's called Boxing Day, nothing to do with the sport..
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Moving with Mitchell27 December 2015 at 02:16
What a beautiful and unusual Nativity Scene!
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