Culture & Religion

Cultural Life Of Polish Community

The post-World War II Polish migration brought with them their great love of the arts. Traditional and new music, poetry, songs, dances and crafts were taught to children still living in resettlement camps. The first Polish folkloric group, formed in l950, was quickly followed by a theatrical ensemble, cabaret and cultural organizations, providing a vast smorgasbord of literary evenings, music performances, various concerts and theatrical productions all promoting the Polish cultural heritage held dear to the hearts of Polish Migrants. Regular concerts and entities like the Theatrical School for children, the Polish Artistic Foundation, the Chopin Society, the Society of Polish Culture and many other artistic organizations help to preserve and encourage the development of the many forms of Polish culture in Australia.

Constant visits of the famous artists from Poland sponsored by the private entities and by the Society of Polish Culture were always welcomed and appreciated. So were the Polish films screened regularly. The adult choirs, youth and children’s vocal groups, folkloric ensembles, bands and the other artistic groups give the cultural life of the Polish Community a vibrant and colourful image. The legacy of it can best be seen brought together in the “Pol-Art” Festival held every three years in a different capital city.

Religion

Significant majority of Polish people in Australia are of western catholic faith. According to 2021 census 117,392 of 209,28 Australians with Polish ancestry are Christians (95,889 of them are Western Catholics), 12,339 are of Jewish tradition, 788 of Buddhism, 358 of Islam, 706 of other religions, 4,200 did not stated any religion and 72,485 Australians of Polish ancestry have secular believes or have no religion.

Churches Build by the Polish Community

Polish Hill River
South Australia – 1871
www.explore.history.sa.gov.au/

Shrine of Our Lady, Queen of Poland
Polish War Memorial Chapel,
Marayong, NSW – 1966
www.parracatholic.org/

The Polish Marian Shrine
Essendon, Victoria – 1973
www.jesuici.org.au
www.pilgrimsofhope.catholic.org.au

St. Maximilian M. Kolbe Church
Ottoway, South Australia – 1986
www./maximilianparish.com/

Our Lady Queen of Poland
Maylands, Western Australia – 1985
www.prccmaylands.com.au/

Shrine of Divine Mercy
Keysborough, Victoria – 2006.
www.dms.org.au/

Polish Seventh-day Adventist Church,
Oakleigh, Victoria – 1969
2 Willgilson Ct, Oakleigh VIC 3166

Polish Seventh-day Adventist Church,
Dandenong, Victoria – 1992
www.dandypolish.org.au/en

Polish Seventh-day Adventist Church
Wantirna, Victoria – (date)
www.facebook.com/WantirnaPolishSDA/

Some Unique Polish Tradition

For Poles the Christmas celebrations begins when the first star appears in the sky on the evening of December the 24th. The well-preserved tradition requires everyone to join the family and sit down to a solemn dinner composed of twelve vegetarian courses, served on a white tablecloth, under which a hay has been placed. An empty chair awaits the unexpected guest. Lots of carols are sung together and, of course, the “opłatek”, a white wafer, is broken between all and shared with Christmas wishes. During the Christmas season, the “gwiazdory” and “jasełka”, customary Christmas pageants, are often performed by the youth and children.

On Palm Sunday colourful and elaborately decorated palms of different sizes are brought to church. On Good Friday Christ’s sepulchres is artistically arranged and venerated in the churches. On Easter Saturday, artistically painted eggs and specially prepared baskets of food – “święconka” - must be blessed in the church. The Easter procession usually begins at dawn. It is followed by the solemn Easter breakfast, which gathers the entire family. The Easter table is laid with the blessed food and with painted eggs, ham, veal, sausages, meat and a great number of cakes with an edible lamb, often made of pastry.

Corpus Christi processions are deeply rooted in Polish culture. Usually performed on the streets, they attract and involve young and old and stop at the 4 different symbolic stations.

The feast of All Saints on the 1st of November is another day of particular significance to all Polish people, regardless of religious convictions. It is a day to remember the deceased. Graves are tidied and strewn with flowers and candles, and everyone visits the final resting places of close friends and family.

There are other numerous customs and traditions associated with weddings, harvesting, funerals, important saints or time of the year. Some of them like “Sobótki” - the feast of fire on the 24th of June, or “dyngus”- pouring water on others on Easter Monday, are rooted in the prehistory of Poland. They vary in different parts of Poland.