Katarzynki i AndrzejkiClick here for Note to Instructors
The Eve of St. Catherine (November 24)
and St. Andrew (November 29)
Text adapted from Encyklopedia tradycji polskich
by Renata Hryń-Kuśmierek and Zuzanna Śliwa,
Poznań: Wydawnictwo Podsiedlik-Raniowski i Spółka, 1998

The feasts of St. Catherine (Katarzynki November 24) and St. Andrew (Andrzejki November 29) were devoted to love and marriage. On the night of Katarzynki bachelors could learn about their future wife and on the night of Andrzejki maidens could find out who would be their husband. As a day of fortune-telling for boys, Katarzynki has almost disappeared from Polish culture. Andrzejki, however, has remained a day of fun, games and fortune telling for girls and boys alike. St. Catherine of Alexandria was the patron saint of bachelors looking for wives; it was believed that she that could tell them who was the best candidate for a wife (especially on the eve of her feast day). How St. Andrew became associated with fortune-telling for girls is unclear; maybe it was because he was considered the patron of marriageable, virtuous, religious maidens. It is possible that the date of the feast was a deciding factor in this tradition. The feast of St. Andrew ends the church year and brings in the advent season (a season for the preparation of Christmas) in the Catholic Church.

There were many rituals and games associated with the celebration of Andrzejki. One such ritual centered around telling the fortune of maidens (Panieńskie wróżby). On the eve of St. Andrew, maidens let their imaginations go by reading the future from various signs. Boys and girls would draw cards from under their pillow with names written on them; this would tell them the name of their future mate. Dreams were also prophetic, especially since girls would retire after a long day of fasting and earnest prayers to St. Andrew. They would ask him to send dreams of their ideal bachelor—a handsome, good, wise and rich man—who was destined to be their husband. To protect themselves from nightmares, girls would eat three pieces of garlic before bedtime.

Today, Poles celebrate Andrzejki as an occasion to gather and have fun. Some of the old games or rituals have been adapted to contemporary times. For example, you can tell fortunes using wax or little plates, as well as predict who will marry next. For more information on these customs, click on the following links: