Download or read book Polish Customs, Traditions, and Folklore written by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab and published by New York : Hippocrene Books. This book was released on 1993 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many of the customs and traditions found herein are extinct even in today's Poland. World wars, massive immigration, the loss of the oral tradition, urbanization and politics have changed the face of a once agrarian people and their accompanying life style. In the U.S., the desire for membership within the "melting pot," marriages outside one's ethnic group, movement to the suburbs away from the "old" communities where customs and traditions were once strong, further weakened the link. Although the purpose and meaning may have been lost and forgotten, the oczepiny ceremony (the unveiling) is still the mainstay of almost every wedding where the bride declares Polish heritage.