A Christmas gift for you;heartthrobs and puppy dogs

Question for our readers: how do you say “heartthrob” or “hottie” in Polish?  Two popular young actors in Hollywood are Paul Wesley and Josh Lucas. Both are of Polish descent. I found them on the EthniCelebs website (http://ethnicelebs.com/). Here is a brief bio of each from Wikipedia.

Wesley was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Polish parents Agnieszka and Thomas Wasilewski, and grew up in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. He has one older sister, Monika, and two younger sisters, Julia and Leah. In addition to English, he also knows Polish, having spent four months every year in Poland until the age of 16.

When asked why he changed to his “professional” name, he said, “My birth name is too hard to pronounce! I asked my family's permission to change it, and it really helped my career.” I’m going to bet this super good looking dude’s girlfriend(s) call him “Va-shi-lev-ski” or whatever he wants. For the record, Schwarzenegger’s name didn’t hurt his chances for success.  

Josh Lucas was born Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1971, the son of Michele (née LeFevre), a nurse midwife, and Don Maurer, an Emergency Room physician. His paternal grandparents were Polish and according to EthniCelebs, his mother is half Polish.

The filmography of both these young stars is truly impressive.  I wish them continued success and happiness.

Polski Owczarek Nizinny

I received a wonderful eMail from Benigna Pajaczkowska Dohms, inspired by the story about Celeste Bonwich wearing her Polish costume (PAJ, August 2012), told how she was able to integrate Polish ethnicity in dress and other accessories at a show featuring a Polish dog breed. Here is part of her letter.

Last November I was the co-chair for the 2011 National Specialty of the American Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Polski Owczarek Nizinny (PON). That particular show was held in Philadelphia. The entire planning committee put Polish themes into as much of the event as we could. Last year's show was the 10th anniversary of our dog breed's inclusion by AKC, so there was plenty of reason to showcase the Polish aspect of the dog's ancestry. Our Meet the Breed booth was a replica of a Polish cottage, made by a committee member who was born in Poland. She included her grandmother's old broom and made headpieces of typical Polish flowers for all of the women on the committee. We were encouraged to wear red and white colors, unless we had a costume. Maggie, who made the cottage, and her daughter wore a Krakowski stroj. I have two custom made costumes from Poland and chose to wear the one from my father's region, Piotrkow Trybunalski. The heavy wool was a whimsical touch for our sheepdogs and all of the sheep figures in our area of the arena. In addition, I carried a shepherd's crook, complete with sheep bell from Poland, as we paraded into the ring. Our awards for the winning dogs were all different pieces of Boleslawiec. We were a very colorful group, not only receiving a lot of attention from attendees, but also won first prize for our booth, as being the most representative of the breed. And, I am proud to say that both of my dogs have Polish names. I even have the men's peacock "hat" from the Krakowski stroj, which I put on my boy dog for a Christmas photo, and yes, I had it in Philadelphia.

Koledy

We know that the Koledy are the beautiful and traditional Polish carols written many years ago and beloved by the Polish people to this day.  According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Poland), these hymns and songs were first compiled in “1838 by Rev. Hioduszewki in a book called Pastorałki i Kolędy z Melodiami (Pastorals and Carols with Melodies). Since we are coming up on the season, here is a Polish Christmas question: has there been one significant and popular Polish Christmas carol written in modern times? I’m looking for the Polish version of “Jingle Bell Rock.”

A big Dziekuje Bardzo to Benigna for her eloquently written story about her experience presenting Polish culture in a number of different aspects. The joy she expresses in carrying out the project is evident and for some of us, we now know about those loveable PONs. A heartfelt Wesolych Swiat to all of the PAJ readers and supporters. I hope you have a warm and loving Wigilia and Pasterka. Our prayers go out to those still trying to recover from Hurricane Sandy and hang in there on your road to recovery.

If you have a thought about this month’s topic, an answer to the question, a question of your own, or have interesting facts to share, contact me at: Edward Poniewaz, 6432 Marmaduke Avenue, St. Louis , MO 63139 ; eMail alinabrig@yahoo.com.

N.B. If you send eMail, reference the Polish American Journal or the Pondering Pole in the subject line. I will not open an eMail if I do not recognize the subject or the sender.