What Is Oplatek? It Is the Begining and Heart of Wigilia - Polish Christmas Eve.
What is Oplatek? It Joins Family and Friends on Wigilia - The Polish Christmas Eve
The Bread of Love
Oplatek, traditionally called "the bread of love," is a thin unleavened wafer - most often a flat sheet-like altar bread.
The Latin word oblatum which means "sacred bread" is the foundation for the Polish word oplatek. The reason is that as Latin started to become the official language of the Roman Catholic Church in the late fourth century, it leaked to educated folk and from there into everyday speech mutating the name along the way.
There are some examples of early Oplatek treasured in European Museums that are multicolored and elaborately embossed by baking in heavy hand-held fire-heated irons. The embossed scenes of the God Child, Blessed Virgin or the creche scene on modern oplatek are not as elaborate as pictures I've seen on the old ones either.
Oplatek - The Bread of Love
Origins of Oplatek - From a Quasi-religious Custom to a Symbol of Patriotism, Family and Friendship
Waiting for Wigilia to Begin
The Oplatek Tradition and Christmas
The oplatek tradition begins in early Christian times, and Polish people compare it a non-sacramental sharing of the Holy Eucharist (Host), the unleavened bread consecrated into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. The "oplatek tradition," as a Christmas custom originated and spread widely throughout Poland as far back as the 17th century. It was usually part of the szlachta's (Polish nobility) culture, and the custom continued to spread throughout the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighboring Slovak countries.
Oplatek: Spelling
Oplatek, in Polish, is singular; oplatki is plural. Sometimes the two words are used interchangeably. The Polish language has nine more letters than the typical Latin-based alphabet. In true Polish, the "l" letter symbol has a slash through it in the spelling of oplatek.
Oplatek: Pronunciation
The "l" letter symbol with a slash through it is pronounced as the "W" in the English word "Way." So, oplatek is pronounced "O-PWA-TEK." Many templates used in computers programs do not allow use of the nine additional Polish letters. This leads to confusion in pronunciation.
Dividing the Oplatek
Dividing and Sharing the Oplatek
The family gathers in a circle or around the prepared table. Dividing the oplatek is a solemn moment - sometimes a bit embarrassing for young family members afraid to be demonstrative. When I was growing up, each person at the table broke a piece from the intact oplatek in my father's hand and then shared in turn with everyone in the room.
Dividing or "breaking bread" continued amid hugs, kisses and Christmas greetings with every other family member. The tiny bits of oplatek clasped in our fingers at the end of the well-wishing were immediately eaten. Any large pieces left were carefully wrapped and tucked away into the silverware chest for next year.
During this time all wrongs among family members are supposed to be forgiven. It's very easy to remember how hard exchanging oplatek was with feuding cousins.
Sources of Oplatek
During the days of Advent, the organist or choir master of the local Polish church usually distributed Oplatek for a donation or set fee. Today, these sheets of thin wafers are hard to find and obtain. The days of making Oplatek in a handheld iron mold are past. Today, thousands are baked, mostly in Polish religious institutions, on girdles which look very much like modern waffle irons. They are cut, packaged and sent around the world. Oplatek used here in the U.S. is usually obtained by importers or distributors from Poland. If you can not obtain Oplatek from a neighborhood church, below are links to online sources. There is not much difference in price from one link to another.
Internet Sources of Oplatek
- Amazon.com: Set of 20 Polish Christmas Wafers Oplatki (12 Large & 8 Small)
Shop Set of 20 Polish Christmas Wafers Oplatki (12 Large & 8 Small) and other Snack Foods at Amazon.com. Free Shipping on Eligible Items - The Catholic Company
A seller of high quality Catholic books and gifts Charlotte, NC, since 1997. - Church Supply Warehouse
A seller of many types of church supplies in business for over 40 years in Wheaton, IL. - Traditional Polish Christmas Wafers - F.C. Ziegler Company
Sellers of goods and services for worship and devotion, public and private; located in six cities in the U.S. - Christmas Wafers - Oplatki Christmas Gifts - Gifts, Christmas - By Polish Christmas - 644527015651 a
A a big selection of imported products; located in Sarasota, FL
Description of Oplatek and Christmas Eve Tradition: Prepared by The Catholic Company Bookstore
(In Polish) Seminary in Tarnow: Interview by reporter from Radio RDN Malopolska
(In Polish) Bialystok: Interview by reporter from Kurier Poranny newspaper in Bialystok
Christmas Eve Altar and Creche in a Polish Parish Church
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2011 Georgene Moizuk Bramlage
Related
Comments
AUTHORThank you for your enthusiastic and appreciated comments. I have other articles on Polish cooking with my mother's recipes as a base. I need to get them "cleaned up" so that I can publish them here on HubPages. GMB
My dad’s parents were both born and raised in Poland. We used to gather at their home every Christmas Eve for oplatek and dinner. Our dinners always started with fish soup which was a creamed soup followed by various fish and side dishes. My grandma and a couple of aunts would cook dinner for my dad and his 7 siblings and 29 grandchildren,total of 45 people. How they did it I’ll never know as it was a sit down dinner after which Santa Claus came. After giving out gifts at the bottom of the bag was a card for me at which time I had to stand up so everyone could sing happy birthday to me as I was born on Christmas Eve. This is a special memory that brings tears to my eyes remembering it.
Does anyone have a recipe for the oplatki? We have my Father in laws iron after he passed but cannot find his recipe.
nice article
You brought back many wonderful memories. My parents were first generation Americans and we followed many old world traditions including Wigilia which started at sunset. My father always started passing the oplatki, everyone broke off a piece then everyone broke off a piece from everyone else. We each had many small pieces to eat. Crumbs were never left, they were also consumed as this was Holy, blessed wafer. We then had a many (up to 7) course meal of our traditional food - Wine, then mushroom and barley soup made with sauerkraut juice, then pickled and sour cream herring, beets & Polish rye bread, followed by fried smelts, Pierogies and carrots. Several additional courses depending on how many were at the table - the more family the more courses. We always ended with a fruit compote made with dried fruit and wine and always homemade babka and poppyseed bread. When my father died we left his place empty with straw under his plate. The evening was spent with singing, opening gifts then off to Midnight Mass. Many wonderful memories of Christmas Eve. I also followed old traditions for Easter - eggs dyed using natural dyes - onion skins, grasses, turmeric, purple cabbage. Thank you for this wonderful site.
We always shared oplatek on Christmas with family at my Grandmothers. Grandparents were from Warsaw.
Today one of my cousins has Wigilia. It is meatless with,kasha, fish,etc. Bible verse and prayer are offered at sundown. Wonderful evening I look forward to every year.
Thank you for sharing! My father was 2nd generation Polish American~ we always celebrated Christmas Eve with my 100% Polish grandparents and shared “wafers”...grandma was a proud “American” woman and sadly refrained from teaching us Polish words...we were to speak English
Such great memories of my mother’s and my father’s families. Thank you
-
-
I remember as a child doing this ritual with my grandmother it was so important to her and I always looked forward to it to see the joy on her face every year how I miss it
- AUTHOR
Thank you for your generous and kind comments. I am glad that the Hub brought back good memories. I also have Hubs devoted to Polish recipes for Wigilia in case you are interested.
Thank You so much for this wonderful & informative journey down memory lane. This is exactly every 'Wigilia' of my entire life. :) I have sent this article on to my brother so his children & grandchildren have a better understanding.
Dzien kujie i Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!
- AUTHOR
Nancy, Thanks a million for stopping by and leaving such uplifting comments. They do my heart good!
Georgene, this is a beautiful tradition, and I was really touched by the part about breaking bread with all the family and forgiving each other. It's too bad more families, even those not Polish, don't have some sort of tradition for this. I know my family could certainly benefit from it!
-
-
- AUTHOR
@ecogranny: Hi, I am so glad that I was able to share something that means so much to me with you. Since I moved I always have the Polish Christmas Eve at my daughter's house. She has carried over many of the traditions she grew up with including inviting those without families or traditions to spend the evening with us. This means someone in the family - which was usually me - has to share what the meaning of oplatek and the evening are to those gathered. You can imagine my pride when my almost-13-year-old grandson volunteered to share the meanings this last Christmas Eve. I was one proud grandma!
- AUTHOR
@junecampbell: Hi! Thanks for stopping by, reading this lens - one of my favorites - and commenting upon it. I am glad you learned something new and enjoyed the lens.
I have never heard of this tradition before. Thanks for the info and great lens!
I had never heard of oplatek, but I love how the breaking and sharing of it is meant to help family members let go of past wrongs and hurts. It is truly a celebration in the spirit of the Christ-child.
We celebrate the holidays quietly with our children and grandchildren. Sometimes we are fortunate to be able to celebrate with distant family members as well, which is always an added joy. Thank you for asking, and thank you for teaching me something new today.
There isn't a special thing we have for either day, a lot of cooking, a lot of family and a lot of noise!
- AUTHOR
@Tom Maybrier: Tom, Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Yes, the excitement was palpable as my sister and I waited for the family guests on Christmas Eve.
Excellent writing! I loved your intro!
- AUTHOR
@greg2biz2: I feel as if I want to interview you about your experiences in Krakow! Why not give some thought to writing a lens about your experiences there and impressions of this great city?
@GeorgeneMBramlage: Yes Krakow is beautiful. It is renewed and clean. Just beautiful. I encourage everyone traveling to Europe visit Krakow, Prague and Bratislava. People love these cities after visiting them. People are great, welcoming and educated.
Szesliwych i wesolych swiat Bozego narodzenia to you and your family as well. God Bless/
- AUTHOR
@greg2biz2: Very happy to read your comments. Haven't gotten around to writing about the fish recipes, but that will come. I envy you the years you spent studying in Krakow. It is such a fabulous city. "Wesoych wit i Szczliwego nowego roku"
In modern Polish families, they serve fish and fish meals on Wigilia, since meat is not an option. Depending on the region, Poles serve herring soup and herring in oil, as they serve pierogis or stuffed cabbage rolls with barley and mushrooms. I am not a Pole, but my husband is and I spend many years studying in Cracow. (Krakow). I prepare everything from scratch, and my kids love it. We share oplatek and sing Polish folklor songs ( kolendy) .
- AUTHOR
@julieannbrady: Yes, memories and traditions are wonderful! The glue that holds families , neighborhoods and cultures together. Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my lens.
I am part Polish! I remember our Ukrainian grandparents inviting us over for the Christmas holidays -- the first time I tried buckwheat stuffed in the cabbage, I found I preferred my other grandma's Hungarian recipe. Ah, memories!
- AUTHOR
@Stuwaha: Thanks for stopping by both of my Christmas Eve lenses...it is so nice to meet a fellow Polish lover of tradition. Because I now live in a smaller "cottage," the family's Christmas Eve usually takes place at my daughter's, and like her parents she invites many people and sets out a lot of traditional foods!
My family on my father's side is Polish and Christmas eve has always been a huge event for us so this is all very familiar to me :) along with copious amounts of pierogi.
- AUTHOR
@ismeedee: Thanks so much for visiting and for your comments...hopefully your brothers-in-law do continue the Christmas Eve tradition; perhaps you'll be invited next year!
My brothers inlaws are Polish- I shall have to ask them if they continue this tradition since they are a pretty traditional family. Very interesting reading!
- AUTHOR
@TolovajWordsmith: Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving comments. I actually grew up in a neighborhood which was more slovenian than Polish. The days of WW II were still very much near the surface for many of our neighbors.
- AUTHOR
@Winter52 LM: Thank you for visiting this lens! I am happy to know that you have a delightful Polish Christmas Eve to look forward to...
My daughter in law was born in Poland. One of these years, we will live close enough to participate in her Christmas. She has served some amazing desserts!!
I am from Slovenia, what is not so far from Poland, but our traditions are not the same. I was raised in times of communism when everything connected with church wasn't very popular and Christmas was pretty neglected holiday, especially in towns. Now Christmas is 'in' again, but in very commercialized version.
I remember from school when we were learning about countries in Eastern Europe, Poland was big exception. It was probably the only country with socialism and church-going at the same time. I think it i great you managed to keep traditions alive.
Anyway, traditions related with bread are still alive in our country too and when we search long enough some similarities with 'bread of love' can be found after all. Thanks for beautiful presentation of oplatek and oplatki:)
What a beautiful tradition. I always loved Christmas Eve growing up. Now I'm usually stressing about getting everything done by Christmas. I appreciate the reminder about the true meaning of the holiday, shared with family and friends.
- AUTHOR
@greenlungsofpoland: We never visited much as I was growing up...now we do Wigilia at my daughter's house - mine is too small - and she seems to pack in as many people as I use to do. i use to make my own pickled fish...wonderful. Can't stand the canned or tinned kind.
Living in a Poland with my partner, our first experience of a Polish Christmas Eve (Wigilia) was quite different to say the least! We has five houses to visit, in one evening and although we achieved our goal by the end of the evening we had both eaten so much pickled herring (Sledzie) (no meat dishes served on Christmas eve) that it is an experience I can nor will ever forget!
- AUTHOR
@anonymous: Jack, How wonderful to hear your praise of the Franciscans and the work that they do. I think it is fascinating to hear about Polish carols being sung in kenya :+) Thank you so much for sharing your relationship with a little bit of Poland its customs. You've brought a ray of sunshine into my life...
In Kenya, thanks to Polish Franciscan missionaries we do have Crib in the church, and our youth present Live Crib as well before the Mass. We also sing, among others, some of the Polish traditional carols, translated into English, and I know that in their community Friars share that bread (oplatek) among themselves. That is so beautiful. I'm so proud to be a parishioner there. Thank you Poland for bringing to us such wonderful people.
- AUTHOR
@poutine: Thanks for commenting on this lens and for sharing your own Christmas Eve traditions with our readers.
Very interesting to learn the Polish customs for Christmas Eve.
In Quebec, Canada, we also celebrate it after the Midnight Mass.
We have a very copious meal which includes "tourtieres". After that, we
open our presents.
- AUTHOR
@SgtCecil: Thanks for leaving your comment. Not to put down Christianity and Christmas, but I think it's interesting that every culture has some sort of celebration, if not many, to welcome back the sun during the winter equinox time of the year. Of course, in the southern hemisphere it's all pretty much reversed :+)
Christmas in Japan is for romance while New Year's Eve is for family. Funny, right? I celebrate with dinner with my girlfriend
Interesting lens, nice topic! Squidlike
This is fascinating. Such an interesting tradition. Also, not related but I see you are from Ohio which is where my own polish ancestors settled. Maybe we are related :)
I always love learning stuff like this! Thanks so much for sharing! Blessed by a SquidAngel!
Being from Polish heritage, growing up we always enjoyed smelts, pierogies, smoked fish, beet soup, and of course oplatek on Christmas Eve.
i really enjoy learning new things and your lenses really make that fun and easy thanks for another great lens
Polling lenses are good
- AUTHOR
@anonymous: Elizabeth, Thanks for leaving a comment on my lens about Wigilia and Oplatek.
Enjoyed "What is Oplatek?" Reminded me of my Polish childhood. Ordered a supply for good wishes at Christmas.
51