FOOD NEWS
Why The Traditional Polish Christmas Eve Dinner Includes 12 Dishes
BY BRIAN UDALL
In Poland, Christmas Eve is celebrated with Wigilia at dinner. At Wigilia, 12 different dishes are served and one chair is left empty to welcome a stranger who may ask to join.
The 12 dishes represent Jesus Christ's 12 disciples and the 12 months of the year. The number is also considered financially lucky in Polish culture.
This isn't a typical dinner where everyone eats until they're full. Wigilia is a time of symbolic restraint and sacrifice, and people tend to eat only a little of each dish.
The dishes are all meat-free except for fish. While it's no longer required by religious authorities to not eat meat on Christmas Eve, the tradition has continued nonetheless.