What to buy for Polish Name Day celebration?

I have just been invited to a name day celebration tomorrow and wonder if I should buy flowers, maybe bake a special cake ( the name day is for an adult friend 27 yrs who will be at work all day so I thought maybe a cake ?

Yes, I think flowers will be a good idea - Polish people in general like flowers (and it's no problem to buy good ones at this time of the season). If it's a Polish family I'm sure they will have plenty of foods, including cakes so I personally wouldn't buy one . If he is a male friend you may possibly buy a cologne or some kind of perfumes, or a good bottle of alcohol; females should be happy with a good box of chocolates and/or some other small suvenir. Name days in Poland are usually made for fun so you should have fun too! .

If your friend is going to be at work all day then I think a good cake would do. Plus a good liquor too - it's a Polish tradition to have one or more drinks during the name day celebration .

Here is a typical Name Postcard in Poland - you can get an idea from it .

Can someone explain the whole name day thing?

As some Poles say - if there's no occassion to drink, let's drink because there's no occasion .

Does anyone know what the name days for the following are?

1) Pawel
2) Anthony / Antoni
3) Izabela
4) Hania

Thanks!

LillyMittens


this might help

rootsweb.com/~polwgw/namelist.html

Can someone explain the whole name day thing?

It is really very similar to birthdays in England. Before people had big parties at homes -lots food, alkohol, sometimes dancing. Now for younger generation it is quite popular to go to the pub for drink in the evening. We buy presents,for women sometimes also flowers. The difference is we don't give cards with presents. But if someone lives far away we send him/her cards with wishes. The good think is that people don't ask you- How ald are you?

Okay I'm sold, I now have a name day. Funnily enough I'll actually be cellebrating my birthday in Poland (Krakow) next year

I hope you will enjoy it.

(My another little moan about England) I think that people here are a little obsessed about age. I mean the kind of culture that young people are interesting , entertaining and cool but old just boriiiiiing. So many times asking you how old are you?.....dfoes it matter? Everyone will get old one day nothing can change it.

Completely different than in the east where old people are respected. Poland is probbaly between- but in general we find rather rude to ask woman how old she is.

rude? why? you know, if I'm in a club, and I see a sexy thing dancing and smiling, it's pretty normal to ask how old she is.. well, atleast at some point

because some 16 year olds really look like 18 when you're drunk. and we don't want none of that.. no sir!

nothing to do with obsession for age.

I dont have a problem with my age - it's just a number, I'm just trying to get feel for what age groups are coming on the forum....

as for i

that's a bit of dated attitude, women look better these days, better beauty products, better diet more money to spend on clothes etc, I for one dont care that I'm 36 I generally get pestered by 20 odd years olds when Im out....but unfortunately I no Mrs Robinson!

Hummm interesting, I have never to told I'm boring....

you're boring..

arrrr well first time for everything.....I supose I walked into that one, should know by now on this forum nothing goes unmissed

Shelley,

if this is of any importance to you, the tradition of namesday comes from the saints' days. Some of these dates are connected with saints lives, their birth, death or beatification days. So these dates were put in calendars and you celebrated the day of your patron. Similarly, Ireland celebrates St. Patrick's Day, England - St. George's ect.

As for celebrations - a party is similar to a birthday one (food, drink, gifts, guests), but at work it's more of a lunchbreak upgraded, after all you still have to work.

bossie

Thank you

It sounds more civilised and more fun, for the majority in england a birthday means getting expensive presents and going out and getting drunk!

Unfortunately St. Georges day is not celebrated - we might offend someone.

rude? why? you know, if I'm in a club, and I see a sexy thing dancing and smiling, it's pretty normal to ask how old she is.. well, atleast at some point

because some 16 year olds really look like 18 when you're drunk. and we don't want none of that.. no sir!

nothing to do with obsession for age.

you made me smile, it happened to me when I was sixteen - but my first thought was he wants to have sex with me but worries if I am not too young. Just strange if you just meet someone and he asks you about age.


But - I don't care if I am old fashion or not- As I don't live long in England I compare things ( can't help it) And I think that there is some obsession about age here - people more talk about it, more worry about getting older- I don't know polish don't talk much about age . I don't know why ? We can't stop time so we just go along.

If you don't know what to do with your life, sure you can drink through it. I hate such attitudes, they only show the intellectual level of the participants. For more intelligent people partying is more than getting dead drunk. And it goes for the "drinking" nations, too, let's not let ourselves be fooled by stereotypes. Actually I always avoid those individuals who drink for fun - making such selection I can be pretty sure I'm going to have a good time