Christmas wafer (Polish: opłatek, plural opłatki; Lithuanian: kalėdaitis) is a central European Christian Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia during Wigilia, or the Christmas Eve Vigil.
The unleavened wafers are baked from pure wheat flour and water, are usually rectangular in shape and very thin; they are identical in composition to a round wafer which become the Host after the Consecration during Mass in the Roman Catholic Church. Being only a reminder of the Body of Christ used in private homes, Opłatki lack sanctification by a priest or bishop. The Opłatki wafers are embossed with Christmas related religious images, varying from the nativity scene, especially Virgin Mary with baby Jesus, to the Star of Bethlehem.
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Family members and friends break off a small piece of the opłatek wafer and give it to one another along with a blessing. Breaking off and exchanging part of opłatek with someone is symbol of forgiveness between two people and is meant to remind participants of the importance of Christmas, God, and family.
A sample blessing can be religious "I wish you much health, happiness and the Lord's bountiful blessings as well as the fulfillment of all your plans and everything you wish for yourself" or secular, by wishing good grades to a child or good health to parents etc.
It is also common to put a "shared part" into the envelope while you're sending a Christmas card to someone close to you so that during Christmas Eve supper someone could share it with you as well as those personally present.
Another tradition, connected to the belief that during the Holy Night (the Night 24/25th Dec) animals could speak with a human voice, is to give the only coloured wafer to the farm animals. This tradition is sometimes maintained in the countryside.
The tradition of sharing the Opłatek, or christmas wafer is one of the rich variety of traditions that is celebrated during Christmas Eve Vigil which is culturally the most important, elegant and sumptuous evening in the whole year.
Before the Kūčios meal starts, the families in Lithuania share kalėdaitis, also known as plotkelė, paplotėlis, plokštainėlis or Dievo pyragai depending on the region of Lithuania a family is from. A plate with as many wafers as there are persons participating in the meal is placed in the center of the table. Each member of the family is given a piece of unleavened wafer.
The head of the family, typically the oldest person present however often father of the family, then takes a wafer and offers it to a family member wishing them a Happy Christmas. "God grant that we are all together again next year", they respond and break off a piece of wafer. The family member then offers the head of the family a piece of their wafer in return. The head of the family then offers their wafer to every family member or guest at the table.
After them, all the diners exchange greetings and morsels of wafer. Care is taken not to skip anyone for that means terrible misfortune or even death the following year. In breaking a piece of wafer, each tries to get a piece larger than that remaining in the other's hand for it means his year will be better. The person holding the wafer tries to prevent a large piece being taken for this will "break his luck".
When everyone has exchanged wafers, the family members take their pile of wafers before the head of the house. He then looks of the wafers in the family member’s hands and reads a fortune from how they are assembled. After this has been completed, people return to their seats and the wafers are eaten.
The tradition traces its origins to the times of early Christianity (see Antidoron) and is seen as a non-sacramental foreshadowing of the liturgical partaking of the Holy Eucharist (Host), unleavened bread consecrated into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. As a Christmas custom the “opłatek” originated in Poland and was spread widely as far back as the 17th century. It was the part of the szlachta's (Polish nobility) culture and the custom had spread throughout the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries. In the 19th century in the aftermath of the partitions of Poland it gained patriotic subtexts as the common wish during sharing of “opłatek” became the wish for Poland's regaining its independence. Since that time “opłatki” are often embossed with religious images. In the 20th century “opłatek” custom went beyond families and gained another meaning: the meeting of present or past co-workers or students.
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