Christmas in Poland
Countries all around the world celebrate Christmas—but they don’t always know what it’s about.

Why is Christmas important?
We make Christmas a special time of year because we want to remember Jesus’ birthday. Christmas celebrates the day Jesus came to earth to save us. When we celebrate this holiday, it gives us a chance to share Jesus’ salvation with others.

Why do we need to be saved? The Bible says that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Because we have broken God’s law, our punishment is to go to Hell when we die.

But God sent His Son Jesus to earth to rescue us because He wants to have a relationship with us and for us to be with Him in Heaven when we die. Isn’t that amazing?

Jesus lived a perfect life here on earth, and then He died on the cross to pay for our sins, taking our punishment. If we trust in Him alone for our salvation, we can be rescued and live with Him forever. 

This rescue is the best present we could ever receive! To celebrate this gift we don’t deserve, we created the holiday of Christmas. We decorate, sing carols, and give presents to remind us of God’s greatest gift.

The sad thing is that in some parts of the world, like Poland, people don’t understand what Christmas is. They don’t realize that Jesus is a present for us and that through Him they can be rescued!

Why do we celebrate Christmas?
What is your favorite part of Christmas?
What does your family do for Christmas that reminds you of Jesus?

What is Christmas like in Poland?
Food is really important in Poland at Christmas. There are 12 special dishes that are traditional—that means people eat them every year, and they mean something important.

The dish that will probably seem the most interesting to you starts with going to the Christmas markets, where there are foods, drinks, and decorations for sale. At the market, people buy a live carp (which is slimy, gray fish that lives in lakes and rivers). They take the carp home, and do you know where they put it? In the bathtub! That fish lives in their bathtub until it’s time to cook it. 

Nowadays, a lot of people buy carp that is ready to cook—but putting a carp in the bathtub is an interesting tradition that some still keep today. Can you imagine a big, slimy fish in your bathtub?

Polish people like to spend Christmas with only their families. For them, Christmas is all about being with family and keeping Christmas traditions, like special foods. A lot of them don’t realize that Christmas is all about Jesus. Isn’t that sad?

What might you find in a Polish bathtub before Christmas?
Do the Polish people know who Jesus is?
If you met someone from Poland, what would you tell them about Christmas?

How should we pray for Poland at Christmas time?
There are not many Christians in Poland, so it’s hard for Polish people to learn about Jesus. A lot of them are very lonely and sad because they don’t know Jesus as their friend, and they don’t know that He came to rescue them because He loves them.

Pray that more people will go to Poland to tell the Polish people about Jesus. Pray that Christians in Poland will have the chance to share with the Polish people that Jesus loves them and wants to be their friend and rescue them. Pray that the Polish people will find peace and love in Jesus.

How should we pray for Poland?
What is your prayer for the Polish people today?