Saint Andrew

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Saint Andrews Day

• How people in Poland celebrate it

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Saint Andrew

• he lived in Galilee
• ( present-day Israel )
• a Christian apostle, a brother of Saint Peter
• his occupation was a fisherman
• he is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece and
  Russia

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Saint Andrews Day in Poland

• the holiday is celebrated on the night of the
  29th through the 30th of November
• on this day there should be a fun night party
  combined with some fortune telling
• the habit of fortune telling in Polish is called
  briefly Andrzejki
• the main purpose of Andrzejki is to predict the
  future of an unmarried girl, especially her
  prospects for a good marriage

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Andrzejki

• There are lots of games/fortunes that are typical
  for this day in Poland
• Here are some traditional games that are still
  played during the Andrzejki

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1. Pouring hot wax

• hot melted wax is poured through the hole in a
  key into a bowl of cold water
• in the past not a usual key was used to this
  ritual but a key from door in the church was the
  best
• hardened wax is held up to the light and the
  future is guessed from its shadow cast on the
  wall
• the lights are usually off (except the light of
  the candle), which adds to an unusual atmosphere
  of this evening

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Different meanings of the shadows

• heart or man love
• star fortune and happy life
• flower nice surprise
• ring engagement
• owl or fox danger

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2. Lining up shoes

• shoes of all the girls are arranged in a straight
  line at the back of the room (each girl takes off
  just one shoe)
• the girl whose shoe is at the end takes it and
  moves it to the front of the line
• all the girls take turn to move their shoes
  towards the door
• the girl whose shoe would first cross the
  doorstep would be married first

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3. Throwing shoes

• all the girls are gathered in the middle of the
  room
• each of them throws their left shoe towards the
  door
• if the shoe falls down facing the door, it means
  fast wedding

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4. The apple-peel toss

• each participating girl peels an apple so the
  entire skin comes off in a single strand
• she then flings the unbroken peel over her
  shoulder
• the peel often lands on the floor and assumes the
  shape of a letter which is said to indicate the
  name of her future fiancé or husband
• if the peel does not resemble any letter, that
  means the peel-tosser will not get engaged for
  some time

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5. Pins

• for this game either 7 or 13 pins are needed
• the pins are placed in a cup and shaken well
  before thrown on the table
• the letter formed by the pins is then read

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Meanings of the letters

• A trip
• E happiness in love or in work
• H marriage
• K success in work
• L be careful
• T help of friends
• V somebody wants to use you
• W be afraid, cheater
• X happiness

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6. Date of birth

• date of birth must be expressed as one number
• the final number will be the total sum of all the
  individual numbers
• For example
• 21.01.1990
• 2101199023
• 235

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Meanings of the numbers

• 1 ambitiuos
• 2 gentle
• 3 trustworthy
• 4 obstinate and sentimental
• 5 cheerful
• 6 sociable
• 7 romantic
• 8 underestimated
• 9 independent

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7. Pieces of paper with male first names in a bowl

• the bowl is filled with water with a candle
  floating in the middle
• pieces of paper with male first names are
• put on the edges of
• the bowl
• the first burnt paper piece indicates the name of
  the future husband

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8. Pieces of paper under the pillow

• girls and unmarried women put pieces of paper (
  with the names of the boys they fancy ) under the
  pillow
• the first thing in the morning they take out one
  piece of paper
• the name on the paper reveals the name of the
  future husband

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9. Three cups

• three cups are flipped upside down to cover
  marriage ring, small cross and a piece of green
  plant
• girls choose one cup which indicates their future
  fate
• the ring - the marriage
• the cross - life as a nun in monastery
• the green plant - the unmarried life

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10. Barking dogs

• when the dusk comes, you should listen to the dog
  barking - from this direction the future husband
  will come

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11. Dreams

• try to remember your dream at St. Andrews night
  - if you see a man in a dream - this might be
  your future husband
• look at the water reflection in a well or in the
  mirror at midnight to see his face

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• Try some or all of the above games at
  your late-November get-together and see how much
  fun you and your group may have been missing.
• If youre attending an Andzejki dance, do
  not be surprised to see everyone engaged in a
  little fortune telling as a part of the
  celebration.

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• Thank you for your attention