Poland

By Orla and Sarah

The flag of Poland

• The colours white and red were introduced as the national colours in 1831.

The national emblem

• The emblem of Poland appeared in the first half of the eighth century

• In Poland, Christmas day is a day of rest, meditation, prayer, and gratefulness. The real celebration takes place on Christmas Eve. An extravagant feast, called Wigilia, which has been prepared many days before, is served when the first star is visible in the sky.

Christmas in Poland

Pope John Paul 11

On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II, who was born in Poland, passed away. He was in his 27th year as pope, one of the longest reigning popes in history. Despite illness and infirmity, he tirelessly preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He defended life in all its forms, wrote prolifically on Catholic topics such as the Eucharist and the Rosary, and pleaded for peace in the world.

People in Poland

In a country of about 39.5 million citizens, Poland today is ethnically almost homogeneous -- some 98 percent are ethnic Poles. The largest minority groups are Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Germans.

People in Poland

By contrast, in the pre-World War II period, there were significant ethnic minorities-- 4.5 million Ukrainians, 3 million Jews, 1 million Belorussians, and 800,000 Germans. The majority of the Jews were murdered during the German occupation in World War II, and many others emigrated in the succeeding years.

National flower

• Poland’s national flower is the corn poppy.

• A corn poppy blooms in June.

• The corn poppy has four petals with a black spot in the middle

National costume• The noblewomen had their own

variants of fur-lined kontusz with long slit-sleeves, and fur hats with jewels. Underneath their jackets, they wore long skirts and high boots. The whole body was covered and the fabric was heavy, lustrous and rich, though without bold patterns or widely contrasting colours.