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VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Tomasz Nęcki

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed, but is still changing the way the entire world functions. In different countries, different holidays and celebrations are celebrated very differently - as an example you can give, for example, Christmas, which in Australia is celebrated in a summer atmosphere by common caroling by candlelight. Polish Christmas traditions seemed to be quite well-established, but now even they are changing - so how did the pandemic affect Poles' holiday customs?

When you asked random people what they associate Christmas with, the answers would probably include those about the possibility of resting, spending time with family or eating various, festive dishes. It sure would be one day, now the scope of the answers to the above question could be slightly different - the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for this kind of changes.

Holidays (not) necessarily together

In the recent past, holidays - even Christmas - were associated primarily with the fact that during these few days, and especially on Christmas Eve, the whole family has the opportunity to meet each other and celebrate those slightly slower than during the whole year moments. The situation has changed dramatically with the COVID-19 pandemic - what used to be obvious has suddenly become not necessarily welcome.

It is difficult to enjoy visiting grandparents when staying with them is associated with the risk of infecting them with a really huge, deadly toll, a dangerous virus. Holidays in masks? Theoretically possible, but in practice, when the table bends from festive, exceptional dishes, anyway, for a significant part of the meeting, the guests stay with the hosts without any protective measures.

How much the COVID-19 pandemic affects the functioning of entire families may be demonstrated by behaviors that have been observed in some children for some time. You can mention here about situations that happen at family gatherings.

Nowadays, children who receive the usual kiss from their distant or closer relatives often panic, responding then that it is necessary to keep a distance and avoid too close contact.Even the youngest children can react in this way, which shows perfectly how a dozen or so months of a pandemic can completely change certain customs that have been known and cultivated for decades.

Changes in the perception of Christmas by young adults

Today, children view certain situations differently, but so do other people - changes in the approach to Christmas are also manifested by young adults. In the past, it was even shocking to find a situation where a student or a young couple who were just getting some extra money stayed at home for Christmas. Nowadays, hardly anyone is surprised, what's more - sometimes young people are even sometimes encouraged by their parents or grandparents.

The fear of COVID-19 is fully justified - after all, the disease has already killed a very large number of people around the world, and more people are still dying from it. This fear is responsible for the fact that some people stay at home for Christmas.

It is possible that during a pandemic, some people spend the holiday season in isolation from members of their immediate or extended family will become a kind of a new norm. After all, at the moment more and more young people notice that instead of traveling many kilometers to go to their families, it is possible to spend time in their own home, eating dishes not necessarily home-made, but prepared by some restaurant offering festive catering.

The changes described above definitely do not only apply to Christmas or Easter - it is worth mentioning here, for example, about All Saints' Day, which is important for Poles. Until recently, it was associated with the fact that whole families went to cemeteries to commemorate their deceased family members, but in the last several months it was definitely different.

November 2022 will be remembered as the year in which the Polish government completely closed cemeteries on All Saints' Day, in 2022 it was possible to visit them, but some people gave up. The reason was, for example, that some decided that there was no need to risk staying in larger groups of people - some Poles said that the memory of the dead can be commemorated not only on the first day of November, but also on any other day of the year.

It is difficult to consider the changes described above as favorable, but on the other hand, the world has always changed dynamically. There were various reasons for this - sometimes the changes were related to armed conflicts in the world, now the reality is changing due to serious epidemiological threats. What the final consequences will bea pandemic concerning the functioning of families will not be revealed until some time.

What to do to make Christmas a family time despite the pandemic?

The course of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world is very dynamic, as shown by the data coming from various sources, whether it is new SARS-CoV-2 virus strains or the development of vaccines against this pathogen.

Christmas in 2022 will most likely bring many different dilemmas - on the one hand, more and more Poles are vaccinated against COVID-19, and on the other hand, there is a risk of contracting the disease at the festive table. Most likely, many families will once again give up the opportunity to spend Christmas time together - however, some actions can be taken to ensure that, even if you keep a distance and a distance, holidays are not a time where the family is completely separated from each other.

Currently, we have a variety of tools - contact at any time of the day or night is possible thanks to modern laptops or mobile phones owned by most people. So even when family members are separated by several dozen or several hundred kilometers during the holiday season, it is possible to use the available communicators and, for example, talk to loved ones as part of a video conversation.

You can use them before Christmas, e.g. cooking dumplings with your grandma who is staying at your home - not only will it be a substitute for closer contact, but also an opportunity to learn the secrets of your grandma's recipes.

Christmas is definitely different now than just a dozen or so months ago. Some difficulties related to the pandemic cannot be overcome, while others can definitely be found. In Poland, various Christmas days for generations have been an opportunity to spend some time with your loved ones.

It is worth remembering and actually getting, at least for a few minutes of video conversation with beloved grandparents, who on Christmas, which you can finally spend without fear of risking the he alth of relatives, may simply not be in this world anymore.

Bow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

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COVID 19