Christmas for Shropshire expats: William Tomaney in Poland
A white Christmas was guaranteed for William Tomaney, who is spending the festive season in Warsaw after moving to Poland in the summer.
The 27-year-old worked in Newport before marrying Polish-born Marta in May this year.
"We moved in July when Marta was offered a role at the British Polish Chamber of Commerce and we took up the opportunity to move to her homeland," he says.
William said Christmas in Poland is a very different experience from how we mark the holiday in England.
"Poland is a strongly Catholic country and takes its traditions very seriously," he said.
"Plus, as I found out at my two-day long wedding in Warsaw, Poles don't miss the opportunity to celebrate hard. The mix of those two factors makes Christmas a very important and very exciting time in Poland."
The festivities start on December 6 when Poles mark St Nicholas's Day, when Father Christmas visits children during the night, leaving a present under their bed.
"The more important day for Poles is Christmas Eve, when a fast is observed and fish – carp – is the traditional dish in the evening. Presents are opened on December 24 as well, rather than the next morning."
Families get together over Christmas and a lot of food is eaten and vodka drunk.
William said one thing he misses is being able to communicate easily with people.
"Polish is very difficult," he says. "A lot of the stuff I might otherwise miss from England is available in Poland.
"A white Christmas is pretty much guaranteed in Poland as temperatures drop below freezing and continue in January and February to around 5F (-15C) or below, but life continues as normal, there is no sign of the transport chaos you find in England.
