Polish Heritage Society of Rochester
Wigilia dinners and programs.

Wigilia - A Traditional Polish Christmas Eve Dinner
Saturday, December 12, 2009, 5:30-9:00 pm
Cleary Auditorium in Kearney Hall
St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14618
Directions (park in lots I and J).

Adult PHSR members - $30
Other adults - $35
Students age 13-21 - $15
Student age 7-12 - $15
Children age 6 and under - free
Let us know youth ages so that we can provide special gifts and snacks.

Orders are no longer being accepted.

Menu:
Starters: Herring, cheese, rye bread, borscht with mushroom dumplings (uszka), cheese
Main Course: Red and white wine, pierogi (cheese & potato, sauerkraut & mushroom), white fish, green beans, roasted root vegetables
Coffee & tea
Dessert: Poppy seed cake, fruit compote, cookies

Watch for information each Christmas season on programs to be presented by the Polish Heritage Society of Rochester, the Krakow Sister Cities Program and the Rochester Museum and Science Center, especially the annual Wigilia celebration and szopka workshops.

See the links page for additional information on the web related to this article.

"Wigilia" comes from the Latin word "vigilare," meaning "to await." The actual Wigilia celebration begins on December 24th when the first star in the east (Gwiazdka) is seen. The 2006 Wigilia program began with a "Winter Skies" Planetarium show highlighting the first evening star of Christmas, and the Trumpeter of Krakow (played in 2006 by Rachel Winsberg).

From the tower of the Mariacki Church, for centuries past, the Hejnal, or Hymn to our Lady, was played by a trumpeter. He played it four times to the four winds, and he played it every hour. In the 13th C, the bugler used the Hejnal to warn the city of an invading army from the East. He played the tune over and over as an alarm. His bugling was cut short by an arrow from the invaders that killed him and to this day, the Hejnal is played hourly with an abrupt ending, reminding people of the bugler’s heroism.