Father Mitch hosts a group of Polish singers and musicians as they sing historic Polish Christmas carols. Watch EWTN Live with Fr. Mitch Pacwa every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. See the full program schedule in your local time: http://bit.ly/EWTNtv | EWTN

Christmas EVE is more important than Christmas Day in Poland 🇵🇱. The highlight of the day is Wieczerza Wigilijna, an official Christmas Eve dinner. It begins when the first star appears in the sky. It’s Polish Christmas custom to leave one free table setting for an unexpected guest. At the beginning we pray and share oplatek – the Polish Christmas wafer (little flat bread) with every member of the family. Poles usually put some hay under the tablecloth to commemorate the birth of Christ in the

In Poland, people eat 12 courses for Christmas Eve! The Wigilia menu is not only very rich and elaborate in culinary terms, but also culturally. Many of the customs surrounding the dinner revolve around the birth and life of Jesus. No wonder, as more than 70% of the population in Poland are Catholic. We show you what is behind what is probably the most elaborate Christmas dinner in Europe. #dweuromaxx | DW Euromaxx

At Christmas Eve dinner, my grandfather visited and asked, “Did you like the house I gave you two years ago?” I froze. “What house? I never received anything…” My grandfather slowly turned to my parents—their faces drained of color. And then… everything came rushing to the surface. Outside the front window, our little Ohio cul-de-sac was quiet under a thin layer of snow. Every house had the same HOA-approved wreath on the front door, the same white string lights traced neatly along the gutters.