71st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation

The Warsaw Uprising began on August 1st, 1944 and this year Poles celebrate 71st anniversary of this heroic 63-day fight of World War II by the Polish Home Army against the German occupation. 

The Warsaw Rising is considered to be the single largest military effort undertaken by a resistance group in Europe. The Polish resistance Home Army decided to start the rising to free the capital from under the Nazi occupation at a time when the Soviet Red Army was approaching Warsaw from the east on its way to Berlin. However, on Stalin's orders the Soviet offensive was stopped and Warsaw was left to bleed to death. Before the Soviets finally captured the city in January 1945, the Nazis had demolished most of the buildings and infrastructure.

There are hundreds of pictures documenting this tragic event: Warsaw Uprising Photos

Excellent Polish politics blog in English

Just recently, I came across an excellent Polish politics blog written in English.  The blog is being run by Aleks Szczerbiak, Professor of Politics and Contemporary European Studies at the University of Sussex.

I found his analysis of the current political news in Poland to be excellent.

Check it out at: https://polishpoliticsblog.wordpress.com/

Polish comedy group "Kabaret Ani Mru-Mru" touring USA

By far, Kabaret Ani Mru-Mru, is one of the best Polish comedy groups today.  Their sketches are witty and hilarious.  If you enjoy Polish comedy, you will have a blast.

Dates and cities.

CHICAGO

Copernicus Center 

9/26/2015 (Saturday) 7:00 PM 

5216 W Lawrence Avenue

Chicago, IL 60630

NEW YORK

Tribeca Performing Arts Center 

9/27/2015 (Sunday) 3:00 PM 

199 Chambers Street

New York, NY

NEW JERSEY

Polish American Cultural Center 

9/27/2015 (Sunday) 7:00 PM 

1-3 Monroe Street

Passaic, NJ 07055

Greedy cunning old woman strikes at Bialystok

Personally, I think the story of the "cunning old lady" or "chytra baba" from last year's Christmas celebration at the town square in Radom became a template for all the nasty freeloaders all over Poland. You can watch the video and read my post from last year here.

First, let me just explain how important the tradition of the Christmas wafer or "opłatek" is during the Christmas Eve in Polish tradition.  The wafers are a reminder of the Body of Christ and are shared among the family before the Christmas Eve dinner.  Wafers are baked from wheat flour and water and depict some Christian images.  Family members wish each other health, happiness, and fortune and break a piece of the wafer from each other's hand consuming the wafers as a sign of peace.  All in all, the significance of the wafer is one of the most important Polish Christmas traditions.

Now, take a look at the below YouTube video.  The lady with the basket passes the wafers to all the people at the town square in Białystok when the greedy cunning old lady grabs a fistful of wafers without any hesitation.  And what do you know?  Yes, she even has a baggy for her loot.  I guess she'll be making wafer sandwiches for the Christmas diner.

Enej and Pectus at Copernicus Center in Chicago

On November 23, 2013, at 7:30 PM, at Chicago's best known Polish venue, Copernicus Center, fans can see one of the hottest new Polish bands: Enej and Pectus.  Both groups will perform their hugely popular hits live on stage.

Where: Copernicus Center, 5216 W Lawrence Avenue, Chicago IL 60630
When: Saturday, November 23, 2013 @ 7:30 PM
Tickets online: bilety.com or ticketfly.com           
Tickets by phone: Polamer 773.685.8222 or 708.867.9200 - Bookstore D&Z 773.282.4222 - Bookstore Quo Vadis 773.622.1271

Enej band was created in 2002 by brothers Piotr and Pawel Soloduch together with a friend Lukasz Kojrys in Polish town of Olsztyn.  Band was named after cheerful Cossack character called Enej from a poem Eneida by an Ukrainian author Iwan Kotlarewski.  Since most of the band members have Ukrainian roots, the band creates music described as Ukrainian folk, ska, and alternative. Their most famous hits are "Radio Hello", "„Skrzydlate Rece" and "Tak smakuje zycie".  You can read more about the band on the band's website enej.pl.

If you want some info on band Pectus, their website actually provides are really nice English info version available at pectus.com.pl.
Band's best hits are "Barcelona", "Dla Ciebie" and "Oceany".  Check out the YouTube videos below.

More Polish license plates around Chicagoland

So here it is again.  Some more Polish license plates around Chicagoland.  Just in case you wonder what they mean.  Here you have it.

Legia stands for Legion but it really represents the Polish football team (soccer) Legia Warszawa from, yes you guessed it, Warsaw.

Legia

Irena PM stands for a popular woman's name, Irene. Not sure about PM. Perhaps she's pm-esing.

Irena PM

Kept the best one for last. Fura means a fat wheels, loosely speaking, and everyone in Poland knows if you own a great fura, you spent some serious cash for your ride.  It's a funny play on words since originally, fura, described an old fashion horse wagon.

Fura

Polish National Independence Day - November 11

The National Independence Day, celebrated on November 11, is the most important event in modern Polish history.  After 123 years of partition by Prussia, Austria, and Russia, First Marshal of Poland, Józef Piłsudski, led the fight for the independence at the end of the Word War I.  Gaining the independence and restoring the nation was no small task.  Poland was split between three, very different occupiers, with different infrastructure, governmental and judicial systems, languages, and levels of development.

After Bolshevik Russia attacked Poland in 1919 and suffered a great defeat in Battle of Warsaw in 1920, Second Polish Republic finally established it's right to exist as a strong nation.  Until this day, Józef Piłsudski is recognized as the most important Polish statesman.  You can find more information about the National Independence Day here.

During the World War II (1939-1945) , under the German occupation, and then under the communist rule (1945-1989) the National Independence Day on November 11th was forbidden.  Currently, every year Polish statesmen gather at the Piłsudski Square for the change of guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the arm forces defilade afterwards.