Enrich Your Club Or Parish Social Scene With St. Andrew's Event Festivities

By Robert Strybel

St. Andrew’s Eve (November 29th) continues to be a popular celebration, especially with the younger set. It has traditionally been associated with fortune-telling, especially eligible young ladies’ quest for a suitor who will lead her to the altar. Although such predictions nowadays are approached with tongue in cheek, the tradition still provides a colorful theme for late-autumn festivities on Poland’s student-club, pub and disco scenes. St. Andrew’s Eve festivities, known in Polish as “Andrzej”, may also be encountered in larger Polonian communities including Chicago, New York, Detroit, Toronto and San Francisco. elsewhere. Parishes whose patron is St. Andrew the Apostle might consider holding or reviving a an “odpust” (indulgence-fair) and/or a “Zabawa Andrzejkowa” (St. Andrew’s Eve dinner-dance) as a fund-raiser.

The Andrzejki theme may help add some variety to your group’s or parish’s existing autumn social. Many interesting and amusing situations will surely occur if some or all of the following are incorporated into the into the evening’s festivities:

Shoe line: Have the interested eligible young ladies present take off their left shoe and place it in a pile near a wall. Some female (perhaps someone not playing the game) is then asked to line the shoes up heel-to-toe pointing towards the nearest door. If there are not enough shoes, then those shoes from the end of the line are brought up front one by one until one finally clears the threshold. The girl whose shoe complete clears the threshold is the first expected to marry and should get a suitable prize -- something ‘housewifely’ and/or humorous like an embroidered apron, carved wooden spoon, rolling-pin or broom.

Shoe pile: In this version, the eligible young ladies’ right shoes are piled up in a heap. The youngest girl present is blindfolded, turned round several times and pointed at the shoe pile. The first shoe she selects is that of the first girl headed for the altar.

Wax-pouring: Each girl gets a turn pouring a portion (perhaps ¼ cup) of molten beeswax into a basin of cold water. The wax may be heated in a large metal spoon over a candle flame. On contact with the cold water the wax immediately hardens into one shape of another. Either the shape itself or the shadow it casts when held up to a strong light is said to predict her matrimonial future. The most traditional way is the pour the molten wax in a thin stream through the eye of large, old-fashion key which is said to unlock the future. Molten lead or tin heated in a crucible may also be used.

Pot game: Each girl taking part is led individually to a series of pots, bowls or other non-translucent containers placed upside down on a table. Various objects said to predict the girl’s future are concealed under each of them. For instance a ring (means imminent marriage), a baby toy (pregnancy), a rosary (becoming a nun), apron (housewife), a cake (abundance), book (old maid), money (career woman), wine glass (drunk), a piece of sod (death), etc. The first container the girl points to is said to reveal what the future holds in store.

Pillow game: The names of all eligible males in attendance are written down on small slips of paper, mixed up and placed beneath a pillow. Each of the eligible young ladies gets to pull own slip from under the pillow. The name she draws is her partner for the evening or at least for one dance. Variation: If a pillow is not available, the slips may be pulled out of a hat, box, bowl, basket, etc.

Apple-peel toss: Each participating girl peels an apple so the entire comes off in a single strand. If it breaks, she is disqualified. She then flings the unbroken peel over her shoulder. The peel often lands on the floor and assumes the shape of a letter which is said to indicate the name of her future husband. It might appear to resemble such letters as C, I L, N, O or S which might be interpreted as Cezary, Igancy, Leonard, Norbert, Olgierd or Stanislaw respectively.

Gypsy fortune-teller: A Gypsy fortune-teller predicting the future from the palm of someone’s hand, a crystal ball, tea leaves, Tarot cards or whatever could be an added attraction (and fund-raiser) at your Andrzejki social.

Canine predictions: At a house party, participants prepare equal tidbits of food (a piece of sausage, a bread cube dipped in fat, even a dog-food nugget) and place them in front of themselves on the floor. A dog is let into the room and the food he goes to indicates the person first due to marry. If the dog spits out the morsel, that means the person will get jilted. Note: At a noisy, crowded dinner-dance venue the poor animal might be too excited to perform his fortune-telling task.

Cake jump: Cakes (these can be pazki, pierniczki, poppyseed cake, doughnuts, Danish, etc.) are suspended from the ceiling at a height above the participant’s head requiring her (or him) to jump to bite it. Those that succeed on the first try are the first ones believed to enter the holy estate of matrimony. Note: Since this can be a bit messy, it would probably go over best among the young and casual rather than those in expensive evening wear.

Walnut boats: A little molten wax is poured into a walnut-shell half and into it is stuck a tiny candle (this can be a birthday-cake candle). These little boats are then floated in a washtub or large basin. If a girl’s boat bumps into a boy’s boat, it means they are meant for each other. If the candle goes out or falls into the water or if the boat capsizes, that is bad news! Often participants help the boats reach their destination by blowing on them but that may blow out the candle which is a bad omen. This game is especially enjoyed by youngsters.