Pasterka (Christmas)
The Pasterka is the most important Roman Catholic Christmas mass in Poland , which usually celebrates the birth of Christ at midnight between December 24th and 25th . Traditional Christmas carols are sung during the Pasterka - including the Polish Christmas hymn " Bóg się rodzi ". For many Christians in Poland, participating in the Pasterka is a fixed part of Christmas . Many believers attend this Christmas mass twice and are encouraged to do so by the priests.
A translation would be closer to the literal meaning well "Mass of the Shepherds" and "Christmas Mass" because the word Pasterka in Polish shepherd or shepherd means - in memory of those shepherds who once celebrated the birth of Jesus after them Christmas Eve by a Angel the birth of Christ was announced.
The party
Although the pasterka is associated with a specific time in the Christian liturgy , the pasterka does not have to take place at a specific hour that night. Rather, the pasterka is defined by fixed prayers and biblical texts. It can thus be celebrated more than once on December 24th by the respective priest in a parish - even in several places such as a church and a nearby chapel . Pasterki are therefore often celebrated one after the other: an early Pasterka for families with children, then one at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. for adults and young people, and then the last Pasterka at midnight for adults. So on Christmas Eve there are often two Pasterki and sometimes even three.
Participation in Christmas services is part of the Christmas celebrations for all practicing Catholic Christians in Poland. They can take part in one of the evening masses or in more than one. The exact hour of the birth of Christ does not appear in the Gospels , why the congregations can choose the ideal time for the Pasterka themselves. The priests sometimes refer to all these masses as Pasterka , even if these masses are actually formally correctly called Wigilia , in contrast to the great mass - the Pasterka - at midnight.
On Christmas Eve of December 24th and on Christmas Day (December 25th) the masses can be celebrated with three different liturgical texts - each one to match a specific sacrament of the Eucharist . Earlier on December 24th, the faithful can attend masses, but this is not a substitute for attendance at the Pasterka .
There are no masses in the early afternoon of December 24th as this is the time for Wigilia , the traditional family Christmas dinner. The first evening mass on Christmas Eve (after Wigilia) is celebrated in the afternoon at 4 p.m. or later - but before 8 p.m. This is followed by a mass at 10 p.m. and then the one-hour midnight mass ( pasterka ), which begins exactly at midnight. The music for the Pasterka starts as soon as the gates open for midnight mass at 11 p.m. The blessing of the nativity scene can take place before or after the sermon, when the priest opens the nativity scene on the main altar. Traditionally, the service ends with an apostolic blessing . The following day the masses begin early in the morning. Further fairs will follow during the day. However, these fairs are not as strictly defined as the Pasterka .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Ann Hetzel Gunkel: Pasterka, the Midnight Mass . In: Polish Christmas . Polish Christmas Traditions. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ↑ a b c d e f Rev. Jacek Kędzierski: Pasterka przed północą ... (Pasterka before midnight) ( Polish ) In: Przewodnik Katolicki 02/2009 (Catholic Guide) . Drukarnia i Księgarnia św. Wojciecha. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ↑ Pasterka, Polish Christmas customs and recipes on polish-online.com (German) - Accessed December 28, 2013
- ↑ The Shepherds' Mass . Polish American Liturgical Center.org. 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ A b Detroit Archdiocese: Midnight Mass at the Cathedral . In: Celebrate Christmas . Detroit Catholic Church. December 20, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ↑ a b Tradycyjna pasterka ( Polish ) In: Święta Bożego Narodzenia . Boże Narodzenie. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ↑ Pasterka w katedrze (Pasterka at the Cathedral) ( Polish ) In: Duszpasterstwo . Archidiecezja Łódzka. December 25, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ Robert Delaney: Midnight blessing by Archbishop Vigneron . The Michigan Catholic. December 17, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
