Any natives of Poland on here?

[Dandelion_Wine]

Greetings,

I have a Godson who is 5 years old. Both his parents have Polish descendants and like to celebrate that part of their heritage.

I have a unique opportunity at the moment. A co-worker is over in Poland for about a month on business. I thought that it might be a great opportunity for me to ask him to bring something back that I could give to my Godson as a gift.

The question is what.

Any recommendations? Is there any traditional gift ideas?

Thanks.

 

[Safia]

First-gen North American o’er here (born in Canada a few months after my parents immigrated) . . . so maybe I can help.

Wood carvings/toy sets are very popular. Anything with Baltic amber, but that’s definitely more feminine.

Does your godson like soccer? Or sports in general? There’s always a fabulous collection of very cheap and durable sports jerseys, etc., at the sports stores in Poland. Soccer is the national sport.

A cool thing that he might enjoy is a dessert-type food typically served for lunch. It’s called kisiel. It’s sold in powder form everywhere. It’s . . . erm, how to describe it? rotfl . . . hot jello. (Sounds gross, but kids in Poland ADORE IT.) It comes in all possible flavors. You serve it with sliced fruit and/or crackers, etc. Oh, so good. I still eat. Often. Very often.

That, and chocolate. European chocolate is delicious.

He’s so young that memorabilia from the thousands of famous places in Poland would probably be no good. If I think of anything else off the top of my head, I’ll be sure to let you know.

 

[Savior2012]

My Grandfather was of Polish descendent. When I think of Poland I think of the Germany invansion in WW2, Arabian horses and great meats.

The term “Pollack” which some laugh at was to my father the same as if saying the N word to a black man.

 

[KROMOLOW]

I am a first generation Polish person, my father was born near Olsztyn and my mother near Katowice.

I was born here in the U.S.A.

I go to a Polish Church, 1st Mass is at 8 am in Polish, and then two Masses in English. I have a Polish spouse, born there in central Poland.

We have taught our children to speak Polish, they also read and write it, as do I.

Jezu, ufam tobie!!

 

[chevalier]

Any natives of Poland on here?

Yup.

Apart from an icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa (or you could go for a Polish prayer book if Polish is spoken around the house), you could also find something with the white eagle in red field (the national arms). Souvenir shops in the capital are teeming with regional accents from all over the country but that only really works if you know which exactly part of the country someone is from, otherwise not really. I suspect one might be able to find reproductions of soldiers from various eras, including the exotic and famed 16-17th century winged hussars or the 1939 uhlans of whom the Nazi were scared witless (for which they were sometimes executed after capture), or the largely underaged and undergunned Warsaw insurgents of 1944 in makeshift uniforms (example) or the peasant levies of 1794 (example), when Poland had to fall back on their reworked scythes in a last ditch effort, one year before the final partition of its land among its neighbours.

There were historical links between Polish and American cavalry and both nations share a particular appreciation of cavalry (and every single other branch there exists or existed, for that matter), so perhaps this would be a good idea, though if someone was a farmer in the old country, then the 1794 insurgents could be a better idea.

 

[Smugleaf]

I’m Polish I lived in Poland until I was 13.

I would recommend a nicely-framed, elegant picture of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa if you would like to get him something really “Polish” and something he may appreciate when he’s a little bit older. Other than that, Poland has a plethora of religious shops and bookshops, and they carry a wealth of material, including that aimed at young children. You can find them attached to virtually every parish church; for a wider choice, there usually is at least one in the city centre (in larger cities) or at the local cathedral.

Those are, of course, suggestions based on an assumption that you are after a religious gift. If you’re thinking of other gifts, I could recommend some children’s books if he’d like to keep in touch with his heritage and perhaps try the language.

By the way, get your co-worker to bring you some Polish fudge (“krówki”), as it is delicious!

Hope you find something nice

 

[Popof]

I was born in Poland. In fact I was there last August.

The first advice is: avoid anything Made in China, and try to find something Made in Poland…

Commission a piece of art, e.g. watercolor representing your friends’ place of origin.

Definitely amber is a great idea.

There are Cepelia shops all over Poland, selling traditional Polish arts & crafts. Beautiful and genuine, but not cheap. cepelia.pl/en/

These pages show traditional designs of “Włocławek” pottery: mmwloclawek.pl/artykul/zdjecie-wloclawki-0 - fajans.q4.pl/zoom.php?id=237&co=undefined - fajans.q4.pl/zoom.php?id=96&co=undefined - fajans.q4.pl/zoom.php?id=428&co=undefined - available throughout the country. The factory’s website is: fajans.q4.pl/ and here is the list of shops: fajans.q4.pl/?id=79 .

When in Warsaw, I used the services of a driver whom I can recommend, and he took me to all necessary shops, did all research for me (even after I left!): warsaw-sightseeing.pl/ - it’s very affordable.