The Historical Society partnered with the Baileys Harbor Community Association to celebrate the holidays in 2024. With a decorated Christmas tree and display cases, the Baileys Harbor Historical Society honored the early settlers of Baileys Harbor by researching traditional customs brought from their homelands to this new settlement. The traditions represented on the tree were:
- Candles & Lights – Jesus is the Light of the World
- Glass Ornaments & Baubles – Poland produces some of Europe’s finest hand-blown glass Christmas tree ornaments
- Garlands & Paper Chains – symbolize togetherness and the road to heaven
- these fruits symbolize harvest & fertility – shiny red apples hung with thread, straw stars, walnuts, wrapped chocolate shapes
- Painted eggshells – also used at Easter
- Polish paper star – “cacka” – a star of Bethlehem
- Pierniczki – gingerbreads hung on branches in shapes of hearts, animals & St Nicholas figures
- Pajak (spider) chandeliers – legend is that a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus, thus spider webs symbolize goodness & prosperity
- Wigilia is the Christmas Eve celebration. This begins with the appearance of the 1st star, which corresponds to the Star of Bethlehem. The Christmas tree candles & lights are then lit and the festivities begin.
A meal of 12 meatless dishes is served to honor the animals that kept Jesus warm when he was born. Some of those dishes include perogies, borscht, mushroom soup, sauerkraut, herring in cream sauce, herring fillets in oil, and herrings covered in cream. Poppy seed cake is served symbolizing prosperity. Before sitting down to eat, the family breaks an unleavened wafer called Oplatek (the bread of love) which is stamped with religious images. The family exchanges good wishes for the new year. An extra chair is left at the table for unexpected guests or strangers.
The Polish Settlement, was about 2 miles west of Baileys Harbor along Hwy EE, about the 1870s. Some of the names associated with the Baileys Harbor Polish settlement include: Martin Schram, Theodore Zak, John Raza, Christ Grey, Casimir Schmidt. Many others followed including – Polzin, Charnetzki, Reh, Wisa, Brunetzki, Rosenaw, Kitta, Krause, Klingbeil, Zdryewski
(reference: Hjalmar R Holand’s (1917) writings History of Door County, Wisconsin, the County Beautiful, Chapter XLI Baileys Harbor, transcribed for Genealogy Trails by Mary Saggio, published in Wisconsin Genealogy Trails)
