Paczki Day Fundraiser for Polish American Association

The calendar says that, this year, Ash Wednesday, the start of the Christian penitential season of Lent, begins on February 22, the same day on which we commemorate the birth of George Washington.

Except that, under the old Julian calendar, Washington was actually born on February 11. In 1750, under the Calendar (New Style) Act, Britain, and all its colonial possessions, including Virginia, where Washington lived, adopted the Gregorian calendar and Thursday, September 14, 1752 was officially the day after Wednesday, September 2.

To conform with the new calendar, Washington, like many of his contemporaries, simply kicked his birthday forward 11 days, from February 11 to February 22, and we have followed this convention ever since.

But it's apparently more complicated than that: History tells us that, according the Julian calendar, Washington was born on February 11, 1731, while, under the Gregorian update, Washington's birthday was reckoned as February 22, 1732. This probably has something to do with the fact that, under the Calendar (New Style) Act, the year 1751 began on March 25 (the traditional New Year's Day on the Julian calendar) but ended on December 31.

Now -- you may ask -- what does any of this stuff about Washington's Birthday have to do with the Paczki Day Fundraiser for the Polish American Association? And the answer, obviously, is not a whole lot.

Except that, this year, since the observance of Washington's Birthday and Ash Wednesday coincide, one need not have to observe the latter in order to indulge in Paczki Day the day before: Any excuse for pastry will do.

And, in this case, a paczki purchase will support the work of the Polish American Association: The PAA provides a comprehensive range of bilingual and bicultural services of all kinds to Polish and other diverse immigrant and refugee communities in need of resources for changing lines.

The PAA is offering three options for this fundraiser:

The Fat Tuesday Mixed Dozen ($48), which includes a mix of:


Semi-tart fresh apple filling with powdered sugar dusting

Traditional apricot filling with a sweet glaze

Rich Bavarian Cream with powdered sugar dusting

Homemade custard filling with chocolate frosting

The Carnivale Mixed Dozen (also $48), which includes a mix of:


Homemade cherry preserves with a sugar glaze

A tart lemon mousse filling with a sweet glaze

Rich raspberry filling with glaze

Fresh strawberries with whipped cream and powdered sugar topping, or

The PAA Special Low Fat Mix (any amount you choose), which includes:

No paczki... but is

Healthy for the waist and the soul

Supports programs

And is a charitable donation

Paczki orders must be received by no later than noon on Saturday, February 18. An order form is available at this link.

Pastry pickups begin at 8:00 a.m. on Fat Tuesday, February 21, at the PAA's northside office, 3834 N. Cicero.

For any questions about this fundraiser, contact Susanne Beddell at susanne.bedell@polish.org or Sonji Jones at sonji.jones@polish.org.