So, here I am in Toruń again. My relatives live in one of the historic buildings in the Rynek so I am right where everyone likes to see. Friday afternoon we did some shopping to get some suppplies. Here are a few scenes around old town in Toruń.The clock in ToruńBeautiful old...
Airport in Bydgoszcz, PolandIt has only been one year since my last visit to Poland, but I had the opportunity to travel here again because of some genealogyresearch that need to be done in Maków Podhalański. I am taking the opportunity to also visit with family again. As with visits in...
Valentine's Day is coming soon and some may wonder if Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th in Poland like it is here in the US. If you would have asked that same question 25 years ago, then the answer would be no, but in the post-communist era of Poland in...
If you have been stuck in the house with all the snow we have had in the northeast, March is the time to get out and attend some free Polish genealogy presentations.FINDING THE FAMILY: Problems, Successes & RewardsTim FirkowskiPOLISH TRADITIONS CUSTOMS and SUPERSTITIONSAleksandra KacprzakMarch 7th, 10am - Noon at the Kennebunk...
Last week my father Eric Walter Firkowski passed away and for this weeks Blog, I thought it was appropriate to share this story which he wrote 10 years ago of his memories returning to Poland after being away 62 years. I had the opportunity to record some of the stories from my father...
October is Polish Heritage month. Celebrate your Polish Heritage! Many Poles and Polish American groups celebrate this month to remember the contributions that Poles have made to this country. Beginning in 1981 Polish Americans have set October to celebrate.The beginning of the largest immigration of Poles took place in the late...
Photo courtesy of Ligia Freyter - Poland Mushroom hunting (Grzybobranie) -You don't need a gun for this type of popular activity in Poland, but you may find some folks shooting mushrooms with their cameras. The weapon of choice is usually a nicely sharpened knife. You may find a few edible species starting...
Most people have a good understanding of basic relationships, but what about the relationship terms that we don't use in everyday speech? Terms like "second cousin" and "first cousin, once removed"? We don't tend to speak about our relationships in such exact terms, so most of us aren't familiar with what...
The Genealogy Assistant will be at the Warner Fall Foliage Festival in Warner, NH October 11-12, 2014. In addition to general genealogical research, I have specialties in Polish and French-Canadian research. If you are in the area or plan on going to the Festival please stop by and say hello. My booth will...
On Sunday, I went to the Little Poland Festival in New Britain, CT. This is only the 3rd in a series of annual events put on by the Polonia Business Association. The Festival covered about 3 blocks along Broad Street which featured about 60 booths filled with great Polish food, souveniers...
The Genealogy Assistant will be at the Warner Fall Foliage Festival in Warner, NH October 6-7, 2012. If you are in the area or plan on going to the Festival please stop by and say hello. The booth will be set up at the Upton Chandler House Museum across from the...
Easter Monday in Poland is a holiday and is called Śmigus-Dyngus (shming-oos-ding-oos) or Lany Poniedzialek (wet Monday). This is a wonderful day of fun. It was traditionally the day when boys tried to drench girls buckets of water. The more a girl is sprayed with water, the higher her chances are that she will get married. The...
Easter is a big celebration in Poland for those that are Roman Catholic which makes up about 96% of the population in Poland.Easter in Poland begins on Ash Wednesday. Pussy-willows are cut and placed in the water, then they are blessed on Palm Sunday in church, as palms are not available...
What is the best language to learn? It is not the answer you might first think of. Let's say you are a native English speaker, therefore, lets rule out English. If you are not a native speaker of English, of course the answer is English! To learn Spanish, French or German...
If you are looking for a place to learn more about what is happening in Poland today, Polish traditions, history, culture and what is happening in Polish communities around the world, I suggest looking no further than the Polish American Journal.The Polish American Journal is a monthly newspaper chocked full of useful and...
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