Polish people enjoy greeting each other. If you find the word "cześć"(Hi!) to difficult to pronounce, you can use "Hello" instead and you'll certainly be understood. When arriving at a meeting, Polish people shake hands. When the company is larger it's right to shake hands with all those present. As a rule the first few minutes of any gathering are taken up with everyone greeting everyone else. This breaks the ice and makes life easier for the shy. Don't be surprised if some people exchange embraces or even a kiss during a greeting. This indicates familiarity rather than love. In the fervor of greetings someone may even lean over to kiss visitors from abroad. If that happens, don't panic, just return the gesture. But with moderation, a kissed greeting is in fact a delicate touch of cheeks.

Moving to the informal "ty" makes life much easier, but it also brings certain obligations. The most important is to remember name days (a patron saint's day - rather than birthdays). This anniversary is important for Poles and in no other culture is it celebrated in such a special way. In order to avoid awkward situations, it is worthwhile checking the calendar and marking the appropriate date. Poles celebrate their name day at home, sometimes in restaurants, occasionally at work - but these days only after hours. If you see someone on their name day, offer him or her your best wishes. Small presents are also welcome - flowers, a little toy, a book. Sticking to good wishes only is not a faux pas. The most important thing is not to forget this important date. If you don't see the person on the name day, a telephone call, text message or email will do. The recipient will definitely remember this gesture, which will make mutual relations that much warmer. If you miss the actual day, you can "make up" for the omission within the "octave" (viz. the next few days).

Family above else

Public opinion poll results have for years consistently shown that Polish people find a successful family life is the most important value. Poland has one of the lowest divorce rates in Europe. This is certainly in part due to the significance of religion in Polish lives, but not only. Agnostics and "lapsed Catholics" as well value the family more than money and professional status. Talking to Poles you may easily get the impression that Polish families are unusually large. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. You should realize that in everyday language "sister" and "brother" can mean "cousin", and "'aunties" and "uncles" may be just family friends. The most popular family model is the 2 + 2 formula (mother, father, and two children), and according to precise statistics it is now nearer 2 + 1.5.

Free time

Walking the dog is one of Polish peoples' most popular forms of spending free time. Poles are also going in for more and more sports activities. Cycling, going to fitness centres, bowling and roller-skating are the sports recently in fashion. Only watching television enjoys greater popularity - Poles watch an average of 4 hours a day. In recent years visiting shopping malls has grown to be one of the most popular pastimes. Worth recommending is a night out at the theatre or a concert. But take note - Poles attending such events treat them as special occasions and dress elegantly for them (unless it's an avant-garde or student theatre). So, if you don't want to cause a minor sensation, for a visit the Polish theatre don't sport a T-shirt and worn jeans, though it would of course be all right for an outing to the countryside.

On the road

There are fewer cars in Poland than in the West, though enough of them to create traffic jams in all the major cities. If you're planning a trip into the heart of the countryside, be patient. Especially as the main routes are also becoming increasingly congested. This is due both to Poles' fascination with cars as well as the country's transit status. Almost every lorry, which crosses Europe, from East to West and back, passes through Poland. It is necessary therefore to get used to the large number of lorries on the not very wide roads. For your own safety it is better not to race them and to expect average speeds lower than on roads in the EU. Apart from that, drivers who break the speed limit risk a roadside encounter with the numerous highway patrol police. Fines are heavy and can significantly raise the cost of visiting Poland.

Intercity and Euro city trains link all the main towns and cities in Poland. It is therefore worth weighing up the pros and cons of buying a train ticket and getting to your destination in half the time a car journey would take. This is especially true of weekend journeys, when traffic both inward-bound as well as out of town can get really heavy. If you get hungry en route, you can stop off at one of the numerous roadside restaurants. Though nothing beats a Polish meal at home.

The groaning table

If in France one cannot count all the types of cheese, in Poland the same applies to sausages and cold cuts. Recently barbecues have become highly fashionable with the meat-eating Poles. Special occasions, such as the visit of a guest from abroad, however, demand the preparation of more complicated and rarer dishes. To stay in Poland and not try bigos made of cabbage is like being in Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Bigos was once a special hunters' dish, served at the end of a long day. Traditionalists who do not eat anything except the specialities of their own cuisine need have no worries about visiting Poland. It is easy to find restaurants serving Japanese sushi, Mexican tacos, American steaks or Greek salads. The one exception is seafood, of which most Poles are not overly fond. On a visit to the mountains you simply must try oscypek - ewe's-milk cheese. It is not found in any other place in the world and is in the shape of a roll with pointed ends. Because the mountain people themselves make it, apart from its quality, care is also taken with its aesthetics - they are imprinted with attractive designs.

To guests' health

The claim that as a nation the Poles can't put their drinking glasses down is wrong. Alcohol consumption is systematically falling and beer is enjoying greater popularity these days than vodka. At parties wine and cocktails are the in thing. However, if you decide on a tipple, it is worthwhile to prepare for toasts. The first toast is usually raised by the host "to the guests' health." It is easy to guess that the guests will reciprocate by drinking to the health of the hosts.
Surprisingly, the Polish national drinks are not alcoholic, but - coffee and tea. Guests are ambushed with the question which of these beverages they would prefer more or less immediately after they cross the threshold of a Polish home.

Guest in the home, God in the home

When sitting down to the dinner table it is always a good idea to congratulate the host on the wonderful reception. Poles are convinced that they are an exceptionally hospitable nation and like to be reassured of this. And not without reason. In the past their forefathers often said: "A guest in the home, God in the home," which meant that a guest had to be offered all the best things available. When the best was not forthcoming they would resort to the following expression: "Get into debt, but do it in style." In fact it sometimes happened that the cost of a reception or party would be financed by a loan, which then took years to repay. The desire to please guests is still prevalent in Poland today.

Source: www.poland.gov.pl