Few places in Europe seem more suited for the holiday season than Kraków , one of the best European destinations for Christmas! Amongst the strongly-rooted Polish holiday traditions that one can experience, Kraków's picture-perfect Christmas market ranks with the best in Europe , bringing a festive, celebratory spirit to the Old Town centre that permeates throughout the town. Streets and bridges stand beautifully illuminated with decorative lights that are somehow magnified during snowfall. On the market square , this magical winter atmosphere is complemented by the smell of caramelised sugar and hot spiced wine  as merchants peddle holiday toys and trinkets , whilst costumed children provide a soundtrack to the seasonal happenings with the  singing of Christmas carols!  And who's that guy with the big white beard over there? No, it's not a magical Christmas hobo (or is it?). That, my friends, is Saint Nicholas himself...enjoying seasonal employment!
 

Indeed, when Kraków decks its halls for the holidays it seems to rather effortlessly embody all the magic that Hollywood has taught us Christmas is supposed to have. It’s not all rum-pa-pum-pum and reindeer games, however. Poland has a full calendar of holiday customs and traditions , many of them Catholic in character, that stretch from early December all the way into January , and which will surely make your experience here a unique, and even at times completely foreign one. We help you get into the local spirit by detailing them below, so you’ll be well-read and ready when you find yourself smitten in mittens beneath the mistletoe. But first:

How do you say 'Merry Christmas' in Polish?

Glad you asked! Say it with us now:
Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!

Okay, let's break that down phonetically:
Veh-so-wick Shvee-ont...  (Merry Christmas...)
...ee Shchen-shlee-vay-go No-vay-go Ro-koo! (...and happy New Year!)

Keep practising, you'll get it.
 
Kraków's Market Square lit up with Christmas decorations!

What happens during Christmas in Kraków?

Kraków's market square and Christmas Fair illuminated at night.

The first Thursday in December also marks the Annual Kraków Christmas Crib Competition. While it may sound like an MTV show where Polish celebrities show off their luxury apartments, this is actually one of Kraków’s most unique traditions. In Poland, a ‘Christmas crib’ or szopka is, essentially, a nativity scene. However, szopki krakowskie (as the idiosyncratic local variety are called) is a sort of strange cross between a nativity scene, gingerbread house and dollhouse, and is the bizarre result of a slowly evolving folk tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. People from all over the city and the surrounding province of Małopolska bring their unique Christmas creations to the market square at 10:00 to show them off, before a procession takes them away to be judged around 12:00. If you're in town, make sure you check it out! However, if you've missed it, you still get a chance to see the year's szopki during the annual Christmas Crib Exhibit, typically running in Krzysztofory Palace from early December until the end of February.