Czepek dance – Money dance The money dance is also an original Polish custom. It takes place after the oczepiny ceremony. Guests pay money for the privilege of dancing with the bride. The maid of honor collects money for the couple to use as they set-up their household together. Today guests pay to dance with both the bride and the groom. At the end of this ceremony, the bride and the groom dance together while the money is counted to determine who has collected more. Wedding cake The ceremonial…
Read More“Poles in the New World”
Ed Zawadzki is passionate about his Polish heritage and he’s not afraid to tell everyone he meets. Ed spoke of the many historical accomplishments of the Polish people in his recent visit to Toledo from the Hussars, the best cavalry unit in Europe, even the entire world to middleweight boxing champion, Tony Zale. He spoke at the Toledo Polish Genealogy Society, and the Kielbasa Dinner and Heritage Presentation sponsored by the Polish American Community of Toledo. He also made a visit to Zavotski’s Meats and Deli for a book signing.…
Read MoreThe Polish Wedding
Description of Polish Wedding Customs Wedding day The wedding day is full of activities and emotions, alternating between sorrow and joy, solemnity and humor. Early in the morning, the closest relatives begin to appear at the bride’s home for breakfast and to help in preparations for the ceremony. Next, there is a wedding ceremony at the local church, followed by the reception at the local community house (the bride’s family cottage could hardly accommodate all the wedding guests including relatives, friends, and the entire village.) Greeting with bread & salt…
Read MoreŚwięto Pamięci Zmarłych – All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day
The celebration of All Saints, known and unknown, on November 1st was introduced into the Church Liturgy by Pope John XI in 835, while All Souls’ Day on November 2nd began more than 100 years later in 998, when the Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery at Cluny ordered the Benedictine congregations to say the mass and prayers in the intention of all the deceased. In Polish tradition (w polskiej tradycji), especially the folk one, both these holidays, All Saints’ Day in particular, are devoted to praying for the souls of the dead…
Read More2011 Kielbasa King Crowned!
Saturday, October 8th was a great day for the Kielbasa crowd in Toledo. The 2nd Kielbasa Cook Off was held at the Donnely Family Neighborhood Center at Blessed Sacrament Church. Twelve amateur kielbasa makers vied for the coveted title of “Kielbasa King”. There was no shortage of kielbasa and everyone was able to purchase kielbasa samples along with other great Polish food like kapusta, mizeria, placek and Cruchinki. After sampling the kielbasa, the votes were cast and the people of Toledo have spoken! The new kielbasa king is Shawn…
Read MoreOctober is Polish Heritage Month
October is Polish Heritage Month! Polish American Heritage Month was first celebrated in 1981 in Pennsylvania. Originally, August was the month selected to focus in on the contributions of great Americans of Polish descent that were often not recognized. Michael Blichasz of Philadelphia, a fourth generation Polish American, started in an effort to bring to the forefront the strong pride he believed all Americans of Polish heritage should have in the successes that Polish Americans have made in America. Polish American Heritage Month became a great success in Pennsylvania and…
Read MoreKielbassa Klassic
The winning team at this year’s Kielbasa Klassic held at the Giant Oak Golf Club included Bud Crosby – Billy Peneff – Bill Akers and Jack Sparagowski. The team from Ski’s Restaurant had a nice round of -14 under including two eagles. The winners each won 10 Pounds of kielbasa from Stanley’s Market, a beautiful individual trophy and a cash prize. In addition to the kielbasa, brats and hot dogs, there were plenty of other goodies to go around as well as a “little bit” of beer. Thank you to…
Read MoreNational Polish American 39th Induction Banquet
Last month, The National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame inducted four persons into is sports hall of fame. The induction banquet was held on Thursday, June 23 in Troy, Michigan. This year’s inductees were Tom D’Eath, Stan Javie, Art “Pinky” Deras and Bill Romanowski.
Read MoreChris Hinds and Lee Schmidlin Win Ski’s 4th Annual Golf Tournament
Chris Hinds and Lee Schmidlin are this year’s winners at the Ski’s 4th Annual 2-man Scramble Tournament. Tim Egan and Sal Tbeileh came in second and Bob Darmafal and Jeff Slade came in third place out of 21 teams. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all players and Ski’s Restaraunt for hosting the tournament and providing the great dinner afterwards. All proceeds from this tournament were donated to PACT. Unfortunately PACT board member Bill Peneff and his teammate, Bill Akers came in second from last. Better luck…
Read More2011 PACT Scholarship Winners Announced
Pictured: Dylan Mowat, Stan Machosky and Kate Howell On Tuesday, June 7, PACT (Polish-American Community of Toledo) awarded two Scholarships to local students who had competed in an essay contest addressing “What Having a Polish-American Heritage Means to Me.” The winners were Katherine Howell, daughter of Tony and Kelly Howell of Perrysburg and Dylan Mowat, son of Dr. Rex and Linda Mowat of Sylvania . Kate will be entering Notre Dame Academy as a freshman and Dylan Mowat will be a senior at St. John’s Jesuit High School in September.…
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