There are as many Christmas traditions and legends as there are countries in the world. As you may know, I was born and raised in Poland, and I would like to tell you just a few words about the Polish tradition of Christmas. In Poland, "Wigilia" - Christmas Eve is the day of the main event, the main feast. It is time for all the family to come together and enjoy traditional food, sing, exchange gifts and be merry. I'm sure you heard of pierogi, one of the 12 traditional dishes cooked around Christmas. Christmas Eve is followed by two Christmas Days.
I know quite a few legends, but have a favorite one which I can't wait to tell you about... According to one of them, Christmas Eve is the only night of the year when animals gain the magical ability to speak at midnight. There are different stories of where the legend comes from, but there is no definite answer. As a little kid, I waited all year round for the animals to speak on Christmas Eve. Especially, the ones at my grandma's farm. Most of the time I was asleep before midnight and this way I missed it, but I never stopped believing, and even after all these years I still hope to hear animals talk on Christmas Eve.
