Wigilia - Christmas Eve

In Poland, the 24th December marks the key moment in the yuletide calendar. The focus of the day is an epic dinner comprising some twelve dishes. In many families, this starts when the first star is spotted in the sky. Before everyone sits down, there is the breaking of oplatek (blessed wafer). Prayers are said for absent friends and family, and a dash of hay is placed under the tablecloth, recalling Christ's humble birth. Later, locals will head out to the churches for Pasterka (Midnight Mass. It's particularly evocative here in Zakopane, where the Highlanders dress in their traditional costumes. Not to be missed.