Jen Cackowski
shorti@strauss.udel.edu

I am from a wide range of cultures; I am Polish, Danish, French Canadian, and Irish. There is even a rumor in the family that my great-great grandfather was an Indian from the Canadian region. The parts of the family that I know most about are the Polish and the Irish sides. The Cackowski family came over from Poland in the 1850's and the Finigan family came over from Ireland in the early 1800's.

My favorite Polish tradition occurs on Christmas Eve; this tradition is the exchanging of the Christmas wafer. The Christmas wafer is called Oplatek. The Oplatek looks and tastes like a host and it also has religious images on the front. The exchange of the wafer occurs before Christmas Eve dinner. Every member of the family receives a piece of the bread and inturn exchanges a peice of their own with every member there. Along with the bread, good wishes, blessings, and cares are also exchanged. This wafer signifies that everyone in the universe is related and it is the affirmation of love of friends and family. The Oplatek also is a sign of what is to be forgiven and forgotten. The wafer is often saved to use in time of sickness.

The above tradition is the only one my family has that has been passed down from generation to generation, but my immediate family has made new ones of our own. We have our own way of celebrating holidays, birthdays, and even little things like getting good grades in school. Over-all, our traditions are unique.