Xth High School Katowice is proud to present:

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10th Paderewski Liceum
Task 3 family life in Poland
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Conclusion

• The number of marriages rocketed in 1990 after
  the change of the political system.
• Number of divorces is on the same level.

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Report

• We have asked 63 people from our school about
  their siblings. The most common type of family is
  2 parents with 1 or 2 children. Only a few of
  the interviewed come from a family consisting of
  more than 3 children and none of them live with
  grandparents.

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Modern family pattern

• The results of the survey reflects the typical
  situation in Polish families. We are not
  surprised by the results because they show what
  is obvious nowadays - a huge difference between
  multi-children families of the post-war times and
  modern ones.
• Aunts, uncles, cousins see less often each other
  than they used to. Another change in family life
  is the attitude of adults to children parents
  treat their children more as equals than they
  used to and the child is given more freedom to
  make his or her own decisions in life.

• The typical model of a family with 2 children
  seems to be still existing in Poland. People
  think 2 children is enough because of economical
  reasons - providing education becomes the most
  important, so bigger families could be a
  financial burden and people cant afford it. What
  is more, living without grandparents is
  considered typical. Longer working hours,
  tendency to live more comfortable and generation
  gap causes that old people live separately until
  they are able to do it .

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Changes and predictions

• The family patterns have changed a lot over the
  last 20 years. We are still a catholic country so
  majority of marriages are held in the church and
  people try to follow the religion of their
  parents. On the other hands, young people dont
  get married too early and the birth rate seems
  to be in decline. Personal career and job
  prospects become a priority and family life
  differs a lot in comparison with the life of our
  grandparents and parents. Upbringing children out
  of wedlock is neither common nor fashionable and
  only a very enterprising women decide on it.

• The institution of marriage and family life
  continues to be important and much of the
  traditional relationship between members of the
  family remains.
• It is difficult to say what the family life will
  be in the future. If we follow the European way
  of life which brings sexual permissiveness and
  personal freedom without any limits, a family
  pattern will change completely. If traditional
  values survive, a typical family will still
  consists of a mother and a father who will bring
  up their naturally born children.

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The oldest generation

• Getting old is an inevitable feature of our
  lives. In the past, families used to live
  together and it was obvious that the old
  generation lived under the same roof. Nowadays
  it is still true in families who own their own
  house or feel an inner necessity to take care of
  grandparents until their death. It is also up to
  the health of the old.

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• The situation of the elderly in Poland is up to
  their financial status. They receive a monthly
  pension but people are living longer these days,
  which means that they become more infirm and need
  to be looked after. If they have a generous
  retirement pension, they are likely to be quite
  well off, with money to spend on holidays and
  other luxuries. Unfortunately, majority of
  pensioners dont think about spending time on
  fancies. The amount of money they receive isnt
  satisfactory and they usually spend it on
  medicines or financial support of their
  children. We hope that by the time we will have
  become old, senior citizens will be given better
  conditions of fulfilling their lives. Looking
  after the older generation is and will continue
  to be a problem in Poland where there are not
  sufficient Old People's Homes, and sheltered
  housing (accommodation supervised by a warden or
  nurse).

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How do we live?

• In our classes there are 26 people, but only four
  of them live in detached houses. Most of us live
  in blocks of flats because Katowice is quite a
  big city and there isnt enough space to build
  separate houses for everyone. The situation seems
  to change and building companies offer
  semi-detached or terraced houses in the suburbs.

• More than a half of our class live not in the
  centre of the city, where noise and traffic jams
  make life difficult, but in the suburbs .There
  are some parks and recreational areas so you can
  relax and spend time actively.

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• A typical flat in a typical 8-storey block
  consists of a kitchen, a toilet, a bathroom, a
  living room and two other rooms which are usually
  occupied by children. Some flats are quite big in
  size, but the more comfortable you live, the
  higher rent you pay. Most people dream about own
  houses although buying a house isnt cheap and
  not everybody can afford it.

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Ceremonies

• and other special days.

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Weddings

• A legal marriage can be performed
• in a church of the Roman Catholic Church
• in a chapel or a church of another religion, if
  the building has been licensed for marriages
• in a registry office.
• Though some couples choose the less formal civil
  ceremony, many still enjoy the ceremony of a
  church wedding.
• A divorced person who wants to get married again
  nominally has to have a registry office wedding
  if his or her religion will not allow a church
  wedding.
• The Roman Catholic Church forbids remarriage.

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Weddings part 2

• The wedding is one of the most important family
  celebrations.
• These short moments of joy follow many
  traditional customs before a young couple
  exchange the wedding rings.
• First, the engagement period (Zareczyny). It
  was always done in a public act in front of
  family and friends.
• Then there were Oprosiny or Zaprosiny (The
  Invitations).
• First, invitations were issued to relatives or
  friends to act as groomsmen or bridesmaids. The
  bride and groom then went to invite their
  godparents.

• On the wedding day it was customary to have
  musicians playing as the wedding guest began
  arriving at the wedding house (Dom Weselny)
• The blessing by the parents was seen as more
  important than the church ceremony itself.
• During the church ceremony it was expected of the
  bride to cry. If she didn't it was believed that
  she would cry throughout her married life.
• Another belief was that whichever one of the
  bridesmaids touched the bride or her wreath first
  after the marriage would marry that year.

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How do we celebrate birthdays?

• The birthday person will have a party to
  which friends and family are invited.
• Visitors to the party bring presents for
  the birthday person.
• The birthday cake is decorated on a
  theme. A candle for each year is lit and
  placed on top.
• The person whose birthday it is ,makes a silent
  wish and then blows out the candles if done in
  one breath, the wish is supposed to come true.
  Another common superstition is that if you reveal
  your birthday wish, it won't come true.
• At the party visitors sing the song to the
  honoured person celebrating their
  birthday, which title is "Sto Lat" in English  it
  means "A hundred years".

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First Communion - - a big event for Catholic
families

• The First Communion (First Holy Communion) is a
  Roman Catholic ceremony. It is the colloquial
  name for a person's first celebration of the
  sacrament of the Eucharist. Catholics believe
  this event to be very important, as the Eucharist
  is one of the central focuses of the Catholic
  Church.

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• First Communion is most often celebrated by
  children around the age of seven or eight. If a
  person has not been baptized as a baby or small
  child, they will usually be baptized shortly
  before their First Communion.
• First Communion is traditionally a big event for
  Catholic families. Special clothing is usually
  worn. The clothing is often white to symbolize
  purity.