The evening of November 29th – the night before St. Andrew’s Day – is in Poland a very popular time to predict the future (divination) connected with social meetings and parties. The party is called “andrzejki”. In the past divination was practiced only by unmarried women who believed that the night before St. Andrew’s Day was especially suitable for magic that reveals a young woman’s future husband or that binds a future husband to her. This tradition has turned into parties – organized at home for friends, in restaurants or at schools (it is very popular tradition) – where both young women and men try to see their futures by augury.

The most popular divination up today is the pouring of hot wax from a candle through a key hole into cold water, divining the future from the shape of the resulting piece.

Some women put pieces of paper (on which they have written potential husbands) under the pillow and first thing in the morning they take one out, which according to tradition reveals their future husband.

The other way of predicting which girl will get married first is putting one shoe of all contestants one by one – the “winner” is the one whose shoe cames to the door first.

Some put two leaves of mirta into water – if the connect with each other, the lady will get married soon.

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Photo: Renata Głuszek