UTICA, N.Y. — Members of the Polish Community Club in Utica celebrated the holidays with a traditional Wigilia celebration Saturday evening.
Wigilia is a Polish Christmas Eve vigil supper, featuring a meatless feast of 12 distinct dishes representing the twelve apostles.
Utica has a large Polish population, and members of the Polish Community Club emphasize the importance of preserving these traditions.
“We want to make sure we continue to celebrate our culture, our heritage, our Polish heritage, is so important to us,” said Ela Pawlowski, vice president of the Polish Community Club. “We have so many Polish members that are here living in the United States, and just through these little celebrations, like the one taking place now, we hope that we can continue to renew the strength, the culture, and the history of Poland.”
The evening’s Wigilia celebration also featured an annual performance by younger members of the club, depicting the Nativity story in both Polish and English.
Members of the Polish Community Club in Utica celebrated the holidays with a traditional Wigilia celebration Saturday evening.
Â