- May 22, 2020
- 1,913
As the final moments of the year unfolded, the Polish people transformed the cities and land into a place of celebration, where traditions of old and new converged together to create joy and allow festivities to erupt into the streets. These streets were filled with young and old, each choosing their own way of celebrating. Old timers and younger choosing to welcome the new year with family while the more rambunctious adults could be found crawling from one bar to another in an effort to see who could be more drunk for the ringing of the New Year. Then there were the couples who chose their own company in the hopes of having a promise of an everlasting future together. From bustling cities to quaint villages, the entire nation came alive with the spirit of celebration and merriment.
The hearts of many cities and towns of Poland became the the focal points for the new years celebrations. Vibrant markets, complete with colorful lights, offered an array of attractions, including treats, handicrafts, and live performances by local artists, save for the Castle Square within Warsaw. There, a stage was erected to host the best names in Polish music, with the Highlight being Anna Maria Jopek, who would play a combination of traditional Polish folk music and more modern pop songs. Situated behind the large stage, that had been constructed just for the New Year's Celebration, sat a large electronic clock with a large crystalline ball attached to it via a series of motors and cables. As the time clicked closer, the ball would slowly rise to the top of the column, until midnight had been struck and the real show began.
Crowds across Poland would begin to count down to midnight at ten seconds till. Thousands of people would yell in chorus with one another as the time slowed down. Even musicians would join in with their microphones and speakers, shouting the numbers to the heavens as the new year came ever closer. Right as the clock struck midnight, bells from churches and cathedrals would begin ringing their bells as the soft sound of the distant thumps of launch fireworks would echo across towns and cities before exploding in the sky, from the Vistula River in Warsaw and the Wawel Castle in Krakow to the small hubs of civilizations spread throughout the nation, painting their unique architecture in a myriad of colors as fireworks exploded over head. Over Warsaw, several launchers had been designed to launch red and white shells at different distances so that when they would explode they would simulate the Polish flag. The fireworks displays would end with a final show, launching dozens of shells into the air in rapid succession to have a truly explosive ending, though none would beat the finale of Warsaw which would see hundreds of shells being fired for five minutes straight leaving the city in daylight for those minutes as the fireworks exploded overhead. Dazzling colors of red, white, blue, green, yellow, and purple would explode over head, leaving the city echoing with the explosions and crackling of the exploding ordnance.
As the fireworks display ended, social media would be ablaze full of videos of the fireworks displays across the nation, and even a few marriage proposals and breakups. But this was not the end of the festivities for Poland. Millions of people of Polish population would make their way to rivers and lakes to throw an item into the water as a form of wishing well, in the hopes of gaining luck, love, wealth, or any number of wish one would want granted for the New Year. As people performed this sacred act that dated back before the catholic church was present in Poland, the people would begin making their new years resolutions for what they wished to accomplish as they made their way back to their homes and their families where the second tradition of Poland would begin. While the younger population would dance and drink the night away, the rest of the population would be anticipating the first footing tradition, which involves welcoming the first person to set foot in their house after midnight, whom is seen as a sign of luck for the coming year, these first-footers would typically bring traditional gifts of bread, salt, or coins to gift to the household.
As the New Year began, the parties would just begin. Alcoholic beverages and music would feel the streets of Poland's cities and towns as the musical festivals would begin again and fill the air with merriment.
The hearts of many cities and towns of Poland became the the focal points for the new years celebrations. Vibrant markets, complete with colorful lights, offered an array of attractions, including treats, handicrafts, and live performances by local artists, save for the Castle Square within Warsaw. There, a stage was erected to host the best names in Polish music, with the Highlight being Anna Maria Jopek, who would play a combination of traditional Polish folk music and more modern pop songs. Situated behind the large stage, that had been constructed just for the New Year's Celebration, sat a large electronic clock with a large crystalline ball attached to it via a series of motors and cables. As the time clicked closer, the ball would slowly rise to the top of the column, until midnight had been struck and the real show began.
Crowds across Poland would begin to count down to midnight at ten seconds till. Thousands of people would yell in chorus with one another as the time slowed down. Even musicians would join in with their microphones and speakers, shouting the numbers to the heavens as the new year came ever closer. Right as the clock struck midnight, bells from churches and cathedrals would begin ringing their bells as the soft sound of the distant thumps of launch fireworks would echo across towns and cities before exploding in the sky, from the Vistula River in Warsaw and the Wawel Castle in Krakow to the small hubs of civilizations spread throughout the nation, painting their unique architecture in a myriad of colors as fireworks exploded over head. Over Warsaw, several launchers had been designed to launch red and white shells at different distances so that when they would explode they would simulate the Polish flag. The fireworks displays would end with a final show, launching dozens of shells into the air in rapid succession to have a truly explosive ending, though none would beat the finale of Warsaw which would see hundreds of shells being fired for five minutes straight leaving the city in daylight for those minutes as the fireworks exploded overhead. Dazzling colors of red, white, blue, green, yellow, and purple would explode over head, leaving the city echoing with the explosions and crackling of the exploding ordnance.
As the fireworks display ended, social media would be ablaze full of videos of the fireworks displays across the nation, and even a few marriage proposals and breakups. But this was not the end of the festivities for Poland. Millions of people of Polish population would make their way to rivers and lakes to throw an item into the water as a form of wishing well, in the hopes of gaining luck, love, wealth, or any number of wish one would want granted for the New Year. As people performed this sacred act that dated back before the catholic church was present in Poland, the people would begin making their new years resolutions for what they wished to accomplish as they made their way back to their homes and their families where the second tradition of Poland would begin. While the younger population would dance and drink the night away, the rest of the population would be anticipating the first footing tradition, which involves welcoming the first person to set foot in their house after midnight, whom is seen as a sign of luck for the coming year, these first-footers would typically bring traditional gifts of bread, salt, or coins to gift to the household.
As the New Year began, the parties would just begin. Alcoholic beverages and music would feel the streets of Poland's cities and towns as the musical festivals would begin again and fill the air with merriment.
