Andrzejki - Polish

Hello! I am Andrzejki. I am a special night of fun and games celebrated in Poland and by Polish communities all over the world. People look forward to my arrival every year on the night of November 29th. My timing is very important. I happen on the eve of the feast day for Saint Andrew. A feast day is a special day for remembering a saint. My name, Andrzejki, is connected to the Polish name for Andrew, which is Andrzej. That is how I got my name.

For a very long time, I have been known as a night for playing fortune-telling games. These are playful activities where people try to guess what might happen in the future. In the past, my traditions were mostly practiced by young women who were not yet married. They would gather together and play these games, hoping to get a hint about the person they might marry one day. It was a time of hopeful mystery for them. Over the years, this has changed. Now, my games are for everyone! At parties, children and adults, boys and girls, all join in the fun together.

My most famous tradition is a magical-looking game that uses melted wax and shadows. First, an adult carefully melts some wax in a pot until it becomes a liquid. Then, they find an old-fashioned key with a hole at the top. While holding the key over a big bowl of cold water, they pour the hot, melted wax through the key’s hole. The moment the hot wax touches the cold water, it hardens into a unique and mysterious shape. The best part of the game comes next. People take the hardened wax shape and hold it near a candle or a light. This makes a large, dark shadow of the shape appear on a wall. Everyone gathers around to guess what the shadow looks like. It could look like a heart, a car, or maybe an animal! Trying to figure out the shadow's meaning is what makes the game so exciting.

Today, people celebrate me with happy parties. These parties are filled with friends, family, good food, and music. The wax-pouring game is still a favorite activity that brings a lot of laughter. People also play other fun games. One popular game is played with shoes. Everyone at the party takes off their left shoe. They line up all the shoes in a single-file line, starting from one wall and heading toward the front door. The person whose shoe is the very first one to touch the door is said to be the next person who will get married. It is a silly race that adds even more fun to my celebrations.