Conversations on Christmas: Pajaki

Pajki ornament. Museum of Science and Industry, December 2010

Real Conversation Between Myself and a Co-worker Over Lunch Today
   
      So, any big plans for making holiday decorations this year?

Yes! I am determind to make a pajaki. Maybe out of water bottles. Or cardboard. I'm still deciding.

     What's pajaki?

It's a traditional Polish spiderweb. 

      Why would you want Polish spiderwebs for Christmas? 

The spiderweb isn't for me, it's for the baby Jesus.

      Wha?

The baby Jesus comes in the Christmas tree and scares out all the spiders, leaving behind a beautiful web of paper flowers. You hang it from your ceiling.

  

      You are making that up.

No. It's true.

      That's crap.

No. Serious. I read all about it. 

      Where?

In a craft magazine. Or something.

     Hate to tell you, but I'm a lot better versed in the whole Christmas thing than you are, and I am pretty sure there was no Biblical mention of Jesus scaring out the spiders, and I'm positive there was no mention of paper flowers.

No, I'm serious. Look at these pictures of pajakis on the Polish Christmas tree at the Museum of Science and Industry last year (I pull out my phone--see photos above and below)

      Those are nice. Where are the spiderwebs?

Those ARE the spiderwebs.

      No, those are candy or chandeliers or something.

They are candy spiderwebs.

      So let me get this straight: On Christmas Eve, the baby Jesus comes up the Christmas tree and scares out the spiders and leaves behind miniature candy chandeliers.

PRECISELY.

      So you are going to make a candy chandelier, but out of water bottles or cardboard, not candy, and hang it from your ceiling.

Yup!

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