Archive for the ‘Traditions’ Category

We cordially invite you to support our Polish Heritage Garden which will be located next to our Polish American Cultural Center.

This is a great opportunity to create a lasting memory for a loved one or your family to be recognized as supporters of the Polish-American Community in Cleveland, OH. For businesses and other organizations, it is a great way to demonstrate support of Polish-American heritage within the Cleveland area.

Thank you for your kind support! For more information please contact: 216-883-2828

Decorating Pisanki Easter Eggs

Polish American Cultural Center’s wonderful, multi-talented, Bernadette Zubel, came to St. Casimir’s church to teach others the Polish tradition of decorating Easter eggs, called Pisanki. The egg symbolizes new life and Christ’s resurrection.  However, the oldest Polish pisanki (the traditional name for painted eggs, singular: pisanka) date back to the end of the 10th century. 

There are different ways to decorate eggs: kraszanki (also called malowanki) are a type of pisanki colored with natural dyes obtained from onion peel, walnut shells, beet juice and various flower petals, cooked until they give up their colors. An egg is then cooked in the resulting dye. Nowadays, artificial food dyes are also used. People would often scratch the egg to reveal the color of the shell and thus make a pattern on a pisanka. These are called drapanki.

For more information on Pisanki and Polish folk art, visit our center to learn more! We have a whole room in our museum dedicated to Polish Folk Art!

Also here is an article: Guide to Polish Folk Art

Bernadette Zubel
Source: cleveland.com

The tradition of food blessing at Easter, which has early-medieval roots in Christian society, possibly originated from a pagan ritual.^[1][2] The tradition is said to date from the 7th century in its basic form, the more modern form containing bread and eggs (symbols of resurrection and Christ) is said to date from the 12th century.^[3]

Please join us for our annual Traditional Wigilia.

The most important day is Christmas Eve called Wigilia (Vee-gil-ee-ya). This is when family members from far away come home to celebrate a very special meatless meal together. It is prepared according to Polish traditions that have been passed down for centuries. Before sitting down at the table, the oldest person in the group passes a thin wafer, called opłatek (o-pwa-tek) to each person present. It is similar to communion wafer but rectangular in shape, with religious nativity scenes stamped into it. Each person breaks off a small piece of the other person’s wafer and eats it while hugging and exchanging good wishes for the coming year. All transgressions are forgiven and family members start over with a clean slate in their relationships with one another. For this reason, the Opłatek is called the “bread of love.” Then dinner is served, and only one person is allowed to leave the table at a time. Poles believe that it is bad luck not to eat at least a little bit of each food served at Wigilia. After the meal, Polish Christmas carols called “kolędy” are sung and gifts are exchanged by the Christmas Tree called “choinka.”   

The Polish American Cultural Center invites you to the annual Polish Picnic!!

$5 Admission

Delicious Polish Food 

Lots of Attractions 

Music by: Ptaki z Basia Band 

Chance  to win $1000 Cash – 1st Prize

$250- 2nd Prize , $100- 3rd Prize, and Door prizes to win too!

Raffle Tickets: $5 each or $25 for 6 tickets

For more information please call Eugene Bak at 440-236-5552 or

the Center at 216-883-2828

You are invited to Celebrate the

Kosciuszko Monuments 111^th Anniversary

And Observance of May 3^rd, 1791 -

Polish Constitution Day

May 29th, 2016

2:00 PM

Cleveland’s Kosciuszko monument is located
on the west grounds of the Cleveland Museum

of Art,  11150 East Blvd, Cleveland , OH

Patriotic program, Polish Folk Dance Groups and Schools 

 Bonus:

Celebrating 100 years of Cleveland Museum of Art  

www.clevelandart.org/celebrating-100-years-cma-video

CMA Centennial details: http://www.clevelandart.org/centennial

You are invited to attend the Cleveland Polish Constitution Day Celebration!

Benefit Concert featuring members of…

The Cleveland Orchestra

Friday, April 29, 2016     6:30 PM

 Polish American Cultural Center

6501 Lansing Ave. Cleveland, OH

Program

Donation $50/ Person

All proceeds to benefit the Polish American Cultural Center

For additional information please call

Polish American Cultural Center at 216 883 2828

Gene Bak 440 263 5552 genebak@aol.com

Sunday, May 1, 2016

9:30 a.m. Mass at St. John Cantius Church

906 College Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113

11 a.m. Luncheon at the Polish American Cultural Center

6501 Lansing Ave. Cleveland, OH 44105

Food for purchase

12:30 p.m. Parade

Starting from Fleet and E61st, E65th north to Forman Ave.

Street performers, music, dignitaries! Ben F. Stefanski II, Grand Marshall.

1:30 p.m. Parade After Party

Seven Roses Restaurant

6301 Fleet Ave, Cleveland, OH 44105

Live music, food for purchase.

3 p.m. Chopin Concert

Konrad Binienda, piano

Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus

3649 E 65th St, Cleveland, OH 44105

3 p.m. Soccer Match

Stefanski Stadium

6550 Baxter Ave, Cleveland, OH 44105

Polonia Sports Club

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

7 p.m. Reception

Polish American Cultural Center

6501 Lansing Ave. Cleveland, OH 44105

Artistic program, hors d’oeuvres, free event

For more information

Please contact: Charles Gliha, chairman of the Polish Constitution Day Committee

216.469.4806

Cleveland Polish Constitution Day website

Cleveland Polish Constitution Facebook page