Editor's Note: These are courtesy translations of local news provided by the U.S. Army Garrison Poland Public Affairs team for the benefit the military community stationed here. Views or opinions are not endorsed by USAG Poland or the U.S. Army.
Christmas changes in public transport from December 23 to Epiphany
It is worth checking how city and suburban transport will operate during the Christmas and New Year period. Many changes will be introduced during this time. On some days, the Saturday timetable will apply. On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, some lines will be suspended.
During Christmas, public transport will operate on a holiday schedule. Many changes will also be introduced on suburban lines.
On December 27, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., tram lines no. 1, 6, 10, 12, 16 and 17 will run every 10 minutes, and the 17 suburban lines will also run according to the working schedule.
On Monday - December 30 and on New Year's Eve (December 31), trams and buses will run according to the working timetable. On the last day of the year from 9:00 p.m., public transport will mainly be available on night lines. They will operate until 12:00 p.m. on New Year's Day, and from 8:00 a.m., daytime services will gradually be restored. Most trams and bus lines will start operating according to the holiday timetable at 12:00 p.m.
Importantly, in order to ensure the best possible access to the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the PCC grounds, additional night tram lines number 204 and 208 will be launched between 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.
From 23 to 31 December, lines 123 and 124 will be suspended and there will be no school services on lines 154 and 188.
Detailed information about changes in urban and suburban transport from 23 December to 6 January can be found on the ZTM website
A special Christmas Eve in Poznań
Online Christmas Eve is a space for everyone. The meeting that brings people together and creates an atmosphere of true closeness will take place this year for the fourth time. - We invite you, everyone is welcome - assures Marcelina Rosińska, Poznań Volunteer of the Year 2024.
This is the fourth edition of this unique event, which has become a Poznań tradition.
- I once had to spend the end of December in the town where I worked. I couldn't go home for the holidays with my loved ones - recalls Marcelina Rosińska, the organizer of the Poznań online Christmas Eve, president of the Foundation Network of Friends of Mental Health. - I remember the tears in my mother's eyes when she heard that I wouldn't come. That's when I realized how awful this feeling can be and how many reasons people can have to spend the holidays, this special time, without family and friends.
It's not just a long trip that can prevent a joint celebration - sometimes it's an illness and a hospital stay, other times it can be loneliness. Sometimes spending these important days with family, even the most supportive ones, can be too difficult. This was the situation of one of the participants of the online Christmas Eve, who had a history of miscarriages, and the holidays in the company of children were too painful for her.
- It is with all these people in mind that we created our online Christmas Eve - emphasizes Marcelina Rosińska. - On Tuesday, December 24, at 8 p.m. everyone can connect with us on the Zoom platform. You don't have to turn on the camera, you don't even have to say anything - just come, even for a few minutes, to feel the warmth and joy. I promise there will be no uncomfortable questions, only words of support.
The meeting will not be recorded or recorded - to ensure a safe and friendly atmosphere. The link to it can be found on the event page, on Facebook .
The most important part of the online Christmas Eve will of course be the conversation - about the holidays, about what is important and necessary. There will be a moment to eat traditional dishes or sing Christmas songs.
- At the beginning, many people always have their cameras turned off, but then they gradually turn them on - says the organizer. - Some guests, however, remain invisible until the end of the meeting and that's OK too. Some come in for an hour, others for five minutes and that's enough. The most important thing is to be with another person for a moment. Because that's what helping is all about. You don't have to move mountains, sometimes the little things are worth more, like giving chocolate, helping with shopping, telling someone: you're important to me, I appreciate your company. Such little things change the world.
There are no age or territorial restrictions for online Christmas Eve participants - you can join from anywhere in the world. The organizers also speak English, so guests from other countries are also welcome.
A huge installation is being built in a church in Poznań
It's already a Christmas tradition.
During Christmas walks, Poznań residents like to visit churches to admire Christmas nativity scenes. The largest of them is located in the Franciscan Church at Bernardyński Square. Every year, the Franciscans prepare an impressive crib, which is enriched with new attractions with each successive Christmas. The crib has impressive dimensions: over 20 meters deep and a dozen or so meters high, and it is decorated with about 300 figures. Its preparation lasts for several weeks every year.
The Nativity scene built by the Poznań Franciscans may be one of the largest installations of this type in Europe. It will be available to view traditionally until early February.
The creation of the first nativity scene in Europe is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. In 1223, he set up a stable in the Italian city of Greccio, representing the Bethlehem Grotto, with a manger, biblical figures and animals. This simple message reached the faithful. Today, nativity scenes are created in every parish.
The unique calendar is once again available for free. How to get it?
This is the Three Religions Calendar, which has been created for the eighth time by representatives of various faiths.
The first edition, published in 2018, was created thanks to the cooperation of Youssef Chadid, imam of the local Muslim community, Fr. Marcin Wrzos, missionary oblate, and representatives of the Poznań Jewish community.
" Since the Middle Ages, Poznań has been a multicultural city where different religions met. For eight years now, this unique calendar has reminded us of our history and that in Poznań we create a community based on respect for every person," says Jędrzej Solarski, deputy mayor of Poznań. "I am glad that even in such difficult times its creators continue to remind us that our city is open to everyone, and love and mutual care help us build community," he adds.
"Each calendar card is divided into three parts, referring to a different time calculation: Gregorian (counted from the birth of Christ), Jewish (from the beginning of the world) and Muslim (dated from the journey of the prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina). It distinguishes the most important holidays of all three religions, days of prayer, such as Sundays, Sabbaths or days of assembly, as well as Polish national celebrations and dates of important events, such as Children's, Mother's or Father's Day," city officials inform.
The publication contains photographs of Poznań and descriptions of traditions, rituals and prayers characteristic of each denomination. The section on Christianity also includes information on important dates and events related to the Protestant, Orthodox and Old Catholic Churches. The introduction in English makes the material accessible to a wider audience.
This year's calendar motto is "Love your neighbor."
"Love of neighbor is one of the central concepts of Christianity, deeply rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ ," points out Fr. Marcin Wrzos OMI. " It is expressed in the call to show kindness, care and compassion to all people, regardless of their origin, social status or religion, as well as in the desire to share the Gospel. It is not only a feeling, but above all an act manifested in specific actions, e.g. helping those in need or supporting people in the crisis of poverty and homelessness," he adds.
"Love for one's neighbor in Islam includes not only family and friends, but also neighbors, co-workers, and even people we do not know personally," writes Youssef Chadid, mufti of the Muslim League in Poland and imam of the Poznań Muslim community, in the introduction to the calendar. " Islam teaches that it should be expressed both in everyday relationships and in the pursuit of social justice ," he adds.
"The commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself is of great importance in the Jewish tradition. One of the rabbinic authorities, Rabbi Akiva, considered this commandment to be the main principle of the Torah ," emphasizes Alicja Kobus, chairwoman of the Jewish Religious Community in Poznań.
The calendar, available free of charge, will be published in a print run of 5,000 copies. From December 16, it will be available for collection at the Poznań synagogue, mosque, cultural and tourist information centers, and at the Mission House of the Oblate Missionaries. It can also be ordered via the website misyjne.pl.
The project was financed from the budget of the City of Poznań.
The Greater Poland Uprising March will pass through Poznań and it is not only way to celebrate the only winning Polish Uprising.
This will be the third edition of the event.
The march was organized for the first time in 2022. As with the two previous editions, it is scheduled for December 27. Participants will start at 6:00 p.m. at the Monument to the Greater Poland Insurgents, and then proceed to the Bazar Hotel . - In an atmosphere of pride and gratitude, we will walk through the streets of Poznań, recalling one of the most important events in our history. Let's come with family and friends and celebrate the 106th anniversary of the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising together - the organizers appeal.
Last year, around 2,000 people took part in the march. The organizers are counting on even more this year.
Additionally, the Greater Poland Uprising Museum invites you to an exhibition about the first commander of the independence uprising of 1918. We will see General Stanisław Taczak not only in the role of a soldier, but also a grandfather, a firefighter, and even a chemist.
"Taczak no longer belongs to the family, it belongs to Poznań," said the general's grandson, Jerzy Gogołkiewicz, when he handed over his grandfather's Order of the White Eagle to the Wielkopolska Museum of Independence. This is one of many memorabilia he donated, which will be on display from December 10, 2024 at 12:00 to March 31, 2025 at the Wielkopolska Uprising Museum in the Old Market Square.
The first curatorial tour will take place on December 17, free of charge for all visitors. There will also be workshops for children under the slogan "How Staś became a general, or the story of Stanisław Taczak", or outdoor meetings, such as the engaging walk "Stanisław Taczak: from Mieszków to the Uprising". More information about the exhibition can be found on the museum's website .
Whti is more, this year, just like last year, the hydrants will once again take on patriotic colors.
- The more uprising accents in the public space, the better. The independence uprising that began on December 27, 1918, is a reason for pride for all of us. Patriotic clothes for hydrants are our small, but well-received by residents, contribution to the joyful celebration of the 106th anniversary of the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising. And all under the slogan "Pin on a bow" - said Przemysław Ciupka, spokesman for Aquanet.
The jackets were knitted by seniors from the Day Care Home "Klub Słoneczna Przystań". As Kornelia Redelbach, the manager of the facility, emphasizes - Year after year, we take up the yarn with great pleasure. We hope that these symbolic decorations delight the eyes of the residents of our city. And there can never be too many reminders of the victorious uprising, also in a slightly humorous form.
This year, the first hydrant to be dressed in the jacket was the one located near the monument of Stary Marych on Półwiejska Street. In the coming days, the jackets will be placed on another 24 hydrants. This is Aquanet's eleventh such campaign.
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