Essay On Polish Heritage

1002 Words3 Pages

The Polish heritage has been an important part of my life. It has taught me to be respectful and caring towards my family, friends, and others. My father’s side of our family is Polish. My great-grandfather came from Poland to escape the perils of World War II. He was a farmer, who traveled to the United States for the promise of a new life. He taught himself how to become a wood-worker and a handy man, but he worked as a miner in the United States. My great-grandfather was extremely determined to provide for his family, and wife in the United States. After a many years, I was born. From my birth, I was introduced to our Polish heritage. My great-grandfather would read to me in Slavic. He was extremely family oriented. After he left his fourteen siblings in Poland, he still made an immense effort to remain in contact with them. Even at my young age, when he was alive, I remember seeing his relatives visiting, even though I could not communicate with them. After he passed, our Polish culture still remained dominate. Every Christmas, my family comes together to celebrate our Roman Catholic faith. Church is emphasized in my family; my great-grandfather would go to two different masses on Christmas Eve. My …show more content…

We also celebrated the feast days of certain saints who we were named after. The most important part of our dinner is the breaking of the wafer (oplatek) and passing it around the dinner table. As children, we would fight over who got the wafer last because my great-grandfather would let us eat the rest of what remains. My great-grandfather taught me on these holidays, that family is the most important aspect of our lives. He always made his family his first priority. Family has always been there as a support system in my life, and I find this an importance in Polish culture. Family dinners, holidays, and meetings were all treated with the upmost

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