In Poland it is believed that St Andrew can advise young unmarried women about the choice of their future husband. This tradition has now expanded to single men as well – everybody wants to see who they are going to marry. And it is thought that the eve of St Andrew’s Day is full of magic, which makes it easier to peek into your future.
It is also worth remembering that Andrzej is still one of the most popular names in Poland. With the old tradition of celebrating name days (imieniny), St Andrew’s Day remains a perfect opportunity for getting together with a group of friends. In the past, when the period of pre-Christmas fasting was strictly observed, it was the last chance for a more joyous celebration.
Ways of forecasting marriage
There were several ways of forecasting marriage, depending of the region, invention of the participants – and the faith in it’s power. The most popular methods were those based on interpretation of the magical signs, which could predict husband’s name, age, appearance, profession, the direction he is supposed to come from, the power of his love, and fortunate or unhappy marriage, and so on.
Sweet dreamsOne of the way of discovering the future husband was to interpret the girl’s dream from the night preceding the St Andrew’s Day . After the intensive praying to St Andrew they expected to be shown their future husband during the night dream. The man they could see during the dream was the one they would soon merry.
Pouring hot wax through an old key's hole into cold water.
This one is a classic. The shape formed by the wax from a candle is supposed to represent something that will happen to you in the upcoming year. For instance, if you see something resembling a car – you can expect that you will get one. Sometimes, when the shape is particularly hard to guess, try seeing what shadow it throws on the wall.
Who is the first to get married?
During the girls St Andrew’s Eve gathering they wanted to know for whom the church bells would ring first. The answer was the result of the shoes competition. The owner of the shoe which reached the door first, would be the lucky one - the first to leave the house i.e. get married.
Lining up the shoes from the wall up to the front door.
This is a girls-only activity. The woman, whose shoe reaches the door first, will obviously be the first one to marry.
Piercing a card with names on the back.
People taking part in this fortune-telling game write female and male names on two separate cards. Girls and boys are asked to stick the needle into the paper from the other side, so that they cannot see what is written there. The little hole in the paper shows you the name of your future spouse.
Tossing apple skins.
This is also a "no boys allowed" fun thing to do on St Andrew's Eve. Girls are asked to peel the skins from apples and then toss them over their shoulders. When examined, the peels often resemble a letter, which indicates the first letter of their future husband's name.
From which direction will he arrive?
To know from which direction the boy would arrive, the girls would leave the house for a wile to listen to dogs barking. From the direction the dog was barking, the boyfriend was expected to arrive.
Before getting to bed the girls would put pieces of papers with the men’s name on under their pillow. In the morning the first piece taken out of the pillow was the name of the future husband. There were hundreds of ideas of how to find out about the marriage. Many of these disappeared or had only local character.
St Catherine׳s Day for bachelor׳s – St Andrew’s for girls
In the past the only participants of the St Andrew’s Eve could be young girls, usually of a similar age. Married woman and men were not accepted. There was another day for bachelors, 24 November, the night preceding St Catherine’s Day, one week before St Andrews Day on 29 November.
Although the tradition is not as strong as in the past, and many practices are completely forgotten, it has to preserve something of it’s spiritual character if at least a few of those practices are still celebrated (such as pouring wax, shoes competition). Nowadays young people celebrate the traditional meeting together on St Andrew’s Eve. The remains of the believe of a magical power of that night lend a special mysterious character for the parties, with the candles and future telling practices.
Today the traditions provide an excellent reason for entertaining social gatherings. Try to avoid planning to business do on that day, as you will be risking that your potential guests will rather be attending a private party organized by their colleague Andrzej.
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