niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus

sunbreakThreads: 22 Posts: 10 Joined: May 6, 08 ♀	Dec 25, 10, 22:45 #1
Does anyone still use this religious greeting in Poland? When would it be used? For example, would you say this if you were visiting someone's house and you knew they were very religious? Would you use it as a general greeting? Would you use it if you were going to talk to a priest? I'm trying to figure out the circumstances when this would be used, if at all these days.

peter_olsztynThreads: 8 Posts: 760 Joined: Apr 18, 07 ♂	Edited by: peter_olsztyn Dec 25, 10, 23:06 #2
sunbreak: would you say this if you were visiting someone's house and you knew they were very religious? no, but I don't know anyone very very religious. sunbreak: Would you use it as a general greeting? no sunbreak: Would you use it if you were going to talk to a priest? As customer I should and yes as an electrician to repair chandeliers I say Dzień Dobry.

♂

Dec 25, 10, 23:15 #3

Even simpler and not requiring a separate response is: Szczęść Boże (literally: May God grant you happiness) - rough equivalent of God speed.
The response to Szczęść Boże is the same: Szczęść Boże. This is always used when greeting priests, friars and nuns.
One would use this greeting with only those laypersons who are Catholic or parish activists as per the custom in a givern communtiy.

jablkoThreads: - Posts: 156 Joined: Jul 13, 10 ♂	Edited by: jablko Dec 25, 10, 23:24 #4
such greeting is fine when meeting priest or a nun mind you, in casual situations people often shorten it to just 'niech będzie pochwalony' using this to greet someone other than priest or nun would be strange

FUZZYWICKETSThreads: 12 Posts: 1,997 Joined: Nov 3, 09 ♂	Dec 26, 10, 06:07 #5
i hear this spoken to priests all the time. still very common. and creepy.

tygrysThreads: 2 Posts: 404 Joined: Dec 28, 07 ♂	Dec 26, 10, 06:12 #6
sunbreak: Does anyone still use this religious greeting in Poland? Yes, and even in America it is used. There are many priests coming from Poland and it is used here also.

terriThreads: 1 Posts: 385 Joined: May 3, 09 ♀	Dec 26, 10, 11:14 #7
Niech bedzie pochwalony........is still used when greeting old people in villages or coming inside their houses. This is closely related to the old Polish proverb: 'Gosc w domu, Bog w domu' - (Guest in your house, God in your house). All priests would use it when they enter your house. And as an aside - I always use the form of 'plural you' (wy) when I speak to older people.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Dec 26, 10, 11:17 #8
I would just stop at 'niech będzie pochwa' :) :) It's a pleasant short form :) Sth akin to the thread words would be said in first footing in Scotland as a sign of welcoming people. There should be more on the work of Jesus at Xmas. Putting things on tv would likely get more people interested in the Bible :)

MrEpThreads: - Posts: 29 Joined: Nov 29, 10 ♂	Dec 26, 10, 13:03 #9
I would just stop at 'niech będzie pochwa' :) :) It's a pleasant short form :) WHOA... yeah. Very pleasant indeed. "Let there be vag**a." :] And as an aside - I always use the form of 'plural you' (wy) when I speak to older people. Communist party members used to adress each other using this form so I'd be careful with that if I were you.

terriThreads: 1 Posts: 385 Joined: May 3, 09 ♀	Dec 26, 10, 14:53 #10
When it comes to 'wy', (plural you) I would never even consider using anything else with a proviso that this is only to the older members of the community. I use it very frequently in the centre of Krakow to older people and nobody bats an eyelid. It does NOT come from the Communist party era - it comes from the time when Poland had KINGS.

♂

Edited by: MrEp Dec 26, 10, 15:09 #11

It's true, it doesn't come from the communist party era, but still it was used frequently in those days. It CAN be taken as a reference to the communism. I'm not saying that it's wrong to use it, I just want to point out that there is a possibility of misinterpreting the speaker's intentions.
I'd personally never use "wy". For me it sounds awkward and archaic.

Polonius3:

The response to Szczęść Boże is the same: Szczęść Boże.

You can use 'Daj Boże' as well.

GregrogThreads: 3 Posts: 114 Joined: Feb 2, 09 ♂	Dec 26, 10, 16:10 #12
MrEp: Polonius3: The response to Szczęść Boże is the same: Szczęść Boże. Response for Szczęść Boże is Daj Panie Boże. I use Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus when I met a priest.

terriThreads: 1 Posts: 385 Joined: May 3, 09 ♀	Dec 26, 10, 16:16 #13
>>>It's true, it doesn't come from the communist party era, but still it was used frequently in those days. ....Did you actually live in Poland during the Communist Era? Where and when did you hear such as greeting, when Members of the Communist Party were forbidden to be Catholic and go to church???

MrEpThreads: - Posts: 29 Joined: Nov 29, 10 ♂	Edited by: MrEp Dec 26, 10, 16:21 #14
terri: Where and when did you hear such as greeting, when Members of the Communist Party were forbidden to be Catholic and go to church??? I was talking about the 'plural you'. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about. It was an 'official' way of adressing people :)

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Dec 26, 10, 19:19 #15
Let's not forget that 'Szczęść Boże' is a greeting widely used by Silesian coalminers. It is emblazoned in large lettering at the entrance to Polish collieries. Maybe it has been reinforced by the German 'Gruß Gott'.

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niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus - a religious greeting?