The Empty Chair at the Wigilia Table
by Staś Kmieć
On the special night of Wigilia — the Christmas Vigil, an extra place is set at the table ‐with an empty chair. It is set for an unseen guest.
A prayer is offered, asking that someone in need could share the observance with an unsuspecting family. The old saying: Gość dom, Bóg w dom (A guest in the home is God in the home) would apply to this gesture of Polish hospitality.
The additional place setting is intended for a wanderer… or so we have been told. It is believed this most important tradition originated in pagan winter solstice rites.
In the Polish folk tradition, Christmas Eve has its own rich rituals. Derived from ancient celebrations, it is a composite of paganism and Christian symbolism. The winter solstice (December 21-22), which for centuries marked the beginning of the new solar year, was dedicated to the ancestors. During the holiday of Gody (Hody, Szczodre Gody, Szczodruszka, Kolęda or Koljada), fires were lit in cemeteries to warm the dead, and grumadki (wooden logs) were burned at the crossroads.
The practice of leaving an empty place at the table for the deceased is a relic of old Slavonic ritual meals. Obiat, a huge feast, honored the memory of ancestors and tribe members. After all the participants had finished, the table was left untouched for the spirits to take part in the ceremony.
According to ancient folk beliefs, the human soul had to eat from time to time, and therefore it was necessary to prepare certain dishes strictly defined by tradition. These ingredients, long considered food for the souls of the deceased, included: bliny pancakes, fasola beans, groch peas, bób broad beans, kasza groats, apples, nuts, and honey.
Sheaves of grain were placed in each of the four interior corners. Called Diduch or Dziad (grandfather’s spirit), they represent people’s ancestors being with them in their memories.
Traditions changed after Poland’s baptism and conversion to Christianity in 966. Because an empty seat for the dead did not fit Catholic rituals, when the meal began to be celebrated as part of Christmas, the additional covering was instead for a “stray wanderer” or “unexpected visitor.” This adaptation fit with the Christian principle of treating others as you would like to be treated, and the Gospel’s “Parable of the Unexpected Guest (Luke 11:5-8). Many, however, continued to show reverence to their deceased family members.
In the rural tradition, there was a vivid attachment to the worship of the dead. It was believed that on the last day of the year, peasant huts were visited by the souls of relatives. It was remembered not to quarrel with the dead, and not to be sad. It was important to care for fire on Christmas Eve, so lights were lit, and in many places the fire was kept in the furnace throughout the night to warm any chilled souls that might visit.
Plate for the “Visitors from the beyond”
On Christmas Eve all family members meet for Wigilia; this also includes deceased loved ones.
In the 1866 “Pieśni o domu naszym” (“Song about our home”), Wincenty Pol mentions that everyone would put a fraction of their opłatek wafer on the plate of the additional cover. With the introduction of colored opłatki for animals and ornament decoration, a green wafer was reserved for the spirits.
There was a conviction among the people that, on this day, the dead were taking part in the Kolacja wigilijna (Vigil supper) with the living. It was combined with an All Souls’ Wake, a dinner for the dead. Attempts were made to feed the spirits of relatives to their fullest. The dishes referring to the tradition of the presence of the souls of their deceased ancestors on Christmas Eve were characteristic of this dinner. Dried fruit symbolized a dormant life, with poppy seeds symbolizing both life and death.
Bread was believed to have magical properties and could not be missing on the Christmas table. It is a symbol of life, a gift from God, but also a gift for the soul during its journey. Kutia/Kucja, an ancient dish made from various grains and mixed with honey, poppyseed and nuts, was eaten at All Souls’ services. Its presence on Wigilia tables is a relic of the old rituals in honor of the deceased. Various poppyseed breads and cakes traditionally appeared on the festive table every year.
In the 1926 book Obrzędowość ludowa Bożego Narodzenia, jej początek i znaczenie pierwotne (Folk Rites of Christmas), author Witold Klinger describes some of the customs of Christmas Eve as celebrated in Polish villages. In the Hutsul region, after praying together at the Christmas table, there was a custom of putting half a tablespoon of wheat and other foods, and a pot of honey in the window corners. Then spreading a handful of broad beans around all corners of the chamber. This was intended for the angels and souls, so they could “refresh themselves” at night.
In Małopolska, the souls of the deceased enjoyed barszcz. In Podlasie, the host would say a prayer, then pour spirits into a goblet and with a finger put some of the liquid onto the tablecloth, which would be intended for the departed. Near Jarosław, after the meal, the housewife left the remnants on the table for three days and three nights to let the spirits visit during the days ahead. In Gorlice, barszcz was removed from the house and then poured over each of the four corners of the home. Elsewhere, rye bread would be left on the table until the end of Christmas, covered with an opłatek wafer and wrapped in a white handkerchief.
A Night Where Souls Wander
Although the Wigilia meal was both solemn and sublime, in general, the character was soulful. Sometimes a small candle was placed on the empty plate and lit during the meal.
It was also believed that, on Christmas Eve, by God’s grace, the souls of the dead leave the afterlife, and can stay with their relatives, at home and in the farmyard. In the not so distant past, on Christmas Eve, people would blow on chairs, benches, and stools before sitting on them, so as not to disturb a spirit.
In Poland — but also in the Czech Republic and Ukraine — it was believed that Christmas Eve favors the supernatural, and all activities should be performed very carefully. It is a night when souls wander, and in folk beliefs it is a moment of chats, wonders, amazing phenomena, and occurrences.
Christmas Eve is full of superstitions purportedly possessing extraordinary power, usually having their origins in ancient local pagan beliefs. As recently as the nineteenth century, it was believed that during the Wigilia, simply by going into the hall and looking into the room through the keyhole, one could see a person who had died the past year sitting with others. For many, it is believed that the souls of the dead appear at the Christmas Eve supper.
Other Theories
After being turned away from the inn, the Holy Family found a place in a stable, where Jesus was born. Their wandering and looking for shelter is another aspect of the empty chair tradition.
During the Partition period of forced enlistment of Poles into the Russian Army in 1863, the empty chair gained a new dimension. From the year of the January Uprising onwards, the empty place was not only left for ancestors or an unexpected guest but, first and foremost, in memory of those who had been deported.
Observing the Tradition Today
To celebrate the tradition of hospitality and inclusion, Open Chairs – Wigilia Campaign (Miejsce przy stole), a Facebook organization in Poland, invites a refugee, an immigrant, a homeless, needy or lonely person, to take an empty chair this Wigilia.
The aim is to suggest what people could do, not what they should do; to break down barriers real or perceived; and to provide a warm family experience to those who may be missing their family at this special time.
In the past, an empty setting was reserved for loved ones who passed away from this world and are no longer sitting at this table. This has changed over time. Now the symbolic covering is for the lonely, for the lost, those who have no one to spend the evening with. Would you let a stranger into your house and invite them to the table?
This year in particular, the Wigilia table may be missing the presence of a departed loved one. So, while the opłatek and meatless meal are the mainstay of the repast, the importance of the empty chair cannot be forgotten. Not only does it remind us of those who have passed, it also serves as a reminder of present family members and friends absent due to distance and current pandemic restrictions.
When the food has been cleared and the candle gives its last light, the empty chair and our memories remain.
