Polish American Journal On-Line Library

100 Things Every Polish American Should Do

Published on the 100th Anniversary of The Polish American Journal

Do you consider yourself a true Polish-American? Are you Polish in name only, or are you a “Practicing Pole?” Do you know the heritage and traditions of your ancestors?

In today’s world of lost identity, it is important to know who you are, the roots from which you come from, and what your background represents. Show pride in your Polish and Polish-American heritage.

Learn the standard version of “Sto Lat,” and sing it at all birthday parties. Bonus: if you learn the waltz version and góralskie mountain versions
Buy a Polish cook book and start learning and experimenting with your Babcia’s cherished recipes
Learn the the Sign of the Cross, the “Lord’s Prayer” (Ojcze Nasz), and “Hail Mary” (Zdrowaś Maryjo) in Polish
Find a Polish church and attend Mass conducted in Polish
Digitally transfer your favorite Polish and Polka 78, 45 or 33 1⁄3 rpm recordings to audio CD.
With blessed chalk, mark the lintel of your entry door with the initials of the three Wise Men and the year (20 K+M+B 22) on the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6), if you cannot find a priest to do so
Listen to the archives of the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour (www.rosaryhour.com/english.php)
Write to your cousins or relatives in Poland
Display the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa and Saint Pope John Paul II in your home, along with plaques of Boże błogosław nasz Dom and Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus.
Order your homemade Polish kiełbasa sausage and other meats from a Polish butcher or delicatessen.
Relate your love to your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend by frequently stating “Ja cię kocham,” and encourage them to return the gesture, even if they are not Polish.
If no longer needed, donate your collection of Polish books and archives to a well-known and respected Polish archive, such as the Polish Mission at Orchard Lake Schools’ Polish and Rare Book Collection.
Support Polish and Polish American authors by buying, reading and promoting their books.
If not stocked by your grocer, ask them to carry quality pierogi – a significant step above mass-produced brands.
Invite your neighbors, friends or business associates for a dinner of traditional Polish favorites, or a sampling of Polish liqueurs with Polish desserts and coffee.
Conduct, record and document an oral history of a relative or another person regarding their Polish or Polish-American experience.
The next time you call your Polish grandparents, uncles and aunts, address them with their Polish titles – babcia (grandmother), dziadziu (grandfather), wujek (uncle), or ciocia (aunt), as appropriate
Pay homage to deceased members of your family by arranging a requiem mass at your parish, and attend the mass. Arrange that a Polish choir or soloist sings, or that the organist plays Polish hymns.
Read a book on Polish history or check an internet site documenting Polish history.
Preserve your lineage by designing a family tree chart, or join a Polish genealogical society to assist with the discovery of your roots in Poland.
Experience Polish pączki. Make them, order them or buy them at a Polish bakery. Not jelly doughnuts, pączki dough is traditionally made with made with a small amount of pure grain alcohol – Spiritus or rum and filled with plum jam or wild rose hip jam.
Visit or attend one of the many public events at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington or a Polish Consulate in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles
Learn the words and melody of Poland’s national anthem "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" (Poland Has Not Yet Perished), and the religious anthem, “Boże, coś Polskę” (God Save Poland).
Attend a Polish-style pre-Lenten festivity such as Zapusty, Ostatki, Karnawal, Pączki Day or a Pączki Ball for a last bit of merriment before ushering in 40 days of fast and penance in preparation for Easter.
Try making homemade pierogi: find a relative or family friend to teach you or organize a pierogi-making circle – allowing the older generation to enlighten the younger and pass on this cherished tradition.
Take a basic Polish language class to familiarize yourself how to read and write and achieve basic conversation travel skills. If you can not find an area location, take a Polish language course in Poland and open a whole new world of communication.
Attend Droga Krzyżowa (Stations of the Cross) and participate with Ojcze nasz (“The Lord’s Prayer”), Zdrowaś Maryjo (“Hail Mary”), Chwała Ojcu (“Glory Be to the Father”) and the response, "Jezu Chryste, zmiłuj się nad nami" (Christ, Have mercy on us.).
Read The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and their Culture written by Adam Zamoyski.
Join a Polish church, choir, dance troupe, club, organization or foundation and be connected to your heritage.
Participate in the uniquely Polish ceremony Gorzkie Żale (Bitter Lamentations) which consists of chanting and texts reflecting on the mystery of Christian redemption and the Passion and death of the Christ.
On Palm Sunday, fill a vase with pussy willows and display in your home, along with Polish palmy sticks and Palmowe Tkania (weaved palms)
Visit seven churches on Holy Thursday
Learn how to create wycinanki (Polish paper cutouts)
Decorate your Easter table and basket with homemade pisanki (Polish Easter eggs) decorated by numerous regional styles and techniques
Prepare a traditional Polish Easter basket and have your foods blessed
On Easter Monday surprise your family or loved one with a sprinkle of water and the phrase “Śmigus-Dyngus”
Say the chaplet of the Divine Mercy and follow the life of St. Faustina (Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska); The Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday – May 1, 2011
Donate a Polish themed book (s) of history, biography, cooking, or culture to a local library or school
Cook a pot of bigos - Polish Hunter’s Stew
Organize all of your mother and grandmother’s Polish recipes by typing them into a word processing file and distribute them to your family
In commemoration of Polish Constitution Day on May 3rd (Trzeci Maj) arrange that the Polish flag is flown at your City Hall (organize that the press attend the ceremony); make sure you fly the Polish flag in front your homestead; wear red and white and a Polish flag pin.
Learn how to dance the Polish national dances: Krakowiak, Polonez, Mazur, Kujawiak and Oberek, along with the Trojak; then learn the Polish American versions of the Polka and Oberek.
Document famous and unique Polish churches in your area (those that still exist and those that are gone). Start with photographs and a brief history, and continue with interviews of older parishioners. Submit your research findings to your local library and the Orchard Lake library archives.
When making a philanthropic contribution, attach a recognizable Polish name to the donation. If your name is not recognizable use a hyphenated maiden or family name, or distinguish the name in parentheses.
Teach or influence a Polish-American boy or girl about their heritage by giving them a book, CD, or DVD. Invite them to a Polish event, and teach them basic words and phrases in Polish.
Visit the Polish Museum of America and the Polish Genealogical Society in Chicago, The Polish Cultural Center and Museum Exhibit Hall in Philadelphia or any Polish museum in the United States.
Learn about Poland’s first native saint, Stanisław of Szczepanów – the patron of Poland, venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus the Martyr.
Search the internet for Polish, Polish-American, and polka radio stations.
Find a Polish deli: buy food products from Poland - Polish mineral water, canned foods such as: pickles, beets, kapusta, and treat yourself to freshly made rye bread and pastries.
Learn about Polish Constitution Day commemorating the Constitution of May 3, 1791 (Konstytucja Trzeciego Maja). Check out: www.wikipedia.org.
On the night of June 23 hold a St. John’s Midsummer Night’s Eve (Sobótka Świętojańska) party in your backyard, by a flowing river or lake, or organize a community event. Float candled wreaths in your pool, jump over an open fire pit, sing the traditional songs. Learn about this ancient custom and familiarize yourself with Poet Jan Kochanowski’s Pieśń Świętojańska.
Establish connections with relatives in Poland, write them, visit them, invite them to visit you.
Attend summer Polish Festivals in your area, and at American outdoor festivals visit and support the Polish food booth.
Order “Polish” tomatoes and grow them in your garden or on your deck.
Stand up against anti-Polish behvior. Send responses (respectfully and factually) when necessary and request that newspapers and magazine print a correction when German death camps in Nazi-occupied Poland are labeled as “Polish Death Camps.”
Visit Panna Maria, Texas, America’s oldest Polish settlement, and the Polish Heritage Center there.
Attend a Polka Mass.
Familiarize your ear to the strains of Polish classical music. Listen to CDs or attend a concert of Chopin, Paderewski, Szymanowski, Moniuszko, or other composers.
Experience the Polish cinema of classic masters such as Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Kieslowski or the newest film makers
When traveling to Poland or in Europe opt to fly on Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT (PLL LOT).
Learn about the many saints of Poland.
Learn about the complex history of Poland and its ever-changing borders.
Learn about the minority cultures of Poland’s ethnic mix.
Research and own a Polish costume (possibly from the area of your family’s origins); wear it correctly and whenever appropriate.
Expose yourself to and be aware of Poland’s current modern culture – the new artists of Polish literature, art, poetry, music, theater, film, and dance.
Read up on Polish herbs, gardens, and folklore in any one of the numerous books by author Sophie Hodorowicz Knab.
Learn about the Kings and Queens of Poland.
Learn about Fr. Leopold Moczygemba (“Patriarch of American Polonia”). Visit his burial place in Mount Elliot Cemetery, Detroit , Mich.
When traveling, find a Polish restaurant in the area and sample their cuisine.
Purchase a Polish flag and display it proudly.
Bring a bouquet of flowers and herbs to Church on the feast of Our Lady of the Herbs – Matka Boska Zielna (Assumption, August 15)
Celebrate the Harvest by attending or having your own traditional Dożynki, Święto Plonów.
Visit and attend Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Doylestown, PA. The Polish-American Family Festival occurs during the first two weekends in September.
Read books concerning the Poles during World War II, such as A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron, and stories of courage and survival during this period; and read about a vibrant, colorful Poland before the war in Warsaw: The Cabaret Years.
Learn about or relay the experience of growing up in a Polish neighborhood in the United States, and preserve this information
Send your children or grandchildren, or attend a summer youth program, such as to the ACPC’s “Youth Leadership Conference” in Washington, Polish National Alliance’s Youth Camp, or a summer camp in Poland.
Keep an eye out for products made in Poland and equip your home with such items as Bolesławiec pottery and Polish crystal.
Learn about the Polish Catholic Church and the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States.
Increase your music library or discover older recordings. Hold a “Polish Record Swap,” where people can bring in to trade or sell vintage Polish or polka 33, 45, and 78 r.p.m. recordings, or to swap digitized versions of the originals. Keep this music history archived for the next generation.
Learn where you come from. Document the village or town of your origins: research the history, discover family photos, visit and take new photos - preserve the memory.
Keep Polonia and Poland alive on the airwaves. Ask local radio programs to mention your area Polish American events (every radio station is required to give time for public service announcements). Ask stations to play selections written by Polish composers over the centuries and recorded by internationally famous artists.
Create a network of Polish and/or Polish American friends from diverse backgrounds and even religions to share perspectives, interests and endeavors. Facebook and Yahoo Groups are key for those involved in the internet’s social network.
Meet with your local Polish American organizations or make special visits when traveling.
Find the church or synagogue of your ancestors in Poland. Find out where others from that location may have resettled in the United States.
Review a map of Poland and learn about the towns, cities, geography, and historical borders.
Become connected and current with what happens in Poland. Read a Polish newspaper such as Nowy Dziennik or check English language internet sites, such as Warsaw Voice, Warsaw Express or Krakow Post.
Read a books or articles related to Poland and share that information with family and friends.
Attend Polish American events and invite others to attend with you.
Keep Polonia in the forefront. Request and encourage local elected officials to present proclamations or special greetings to the Polish American community in relation to commemorative events.
Offer a Mass or service at your local place of worship for the intention of your area Polish American community or in connection to a historic event. Following the service in the spirit of Polish hospitality, hold a reception with Polish pastries and refreshments.
Set up an October Polish Heritage Month display or organize a cultural performance at your local library or town hall.
Visit Jamestown and tell the people there that you are there to honor the Polish Glassmakers of 1608.
Light a candle at the grave of a relative on November 2 (All Souls’ Day).
Share opłatek at Christmas Eve Wigilia dinner or experience a Polish tradition of your religion.
Sing and play kolędy (Polish carols) and give recordings as Christmas presents.
Decorate your Christmas tree with Polish-made ornaments, or make your own village-style ornaments from paper, straw and blown-egg shells.
Write “Wesołych Świąt” on all your Christmas or holiday cards.
Visit Poland — the country of your ancestry; the homeland of your forefathers.
Get your family and friends to discover their heritage through a subscription to the Polish American Journal – buy a subscription for friends and family, for your local library; get your club or organization to buy subscriptions.
Dziękuję Bogu za rodzinę, przyjaciół i dziedzictwo. (Thank God for your family, friends, and heritage.)

— Edited and compiled by Staś Kmieć from contributors: Geraldine Balut-Coleman, Florence Clowes, James Conroyd Martin, Benjamin Fiore, Staś Kmieć, Mark Kohan, Lydia Kordalewski, Mary Ann Marko, Krysia Markowski, Ed Mohylowski and Leopold Potsiadlo.