• Listen

  What it means

  “The bread of Saint Agata protects the home from fire.” Blessed bread distributed on the feast of Saint Agata (February 5) was believed to guard the household against fire. A proverb rooted in folk religious custom.

  Vocabulary

  • chleb — bread
  • święty/święta — saint / holy
  • strzec — to guard, to protect
  • chata — cottage, home

  Grammar note

  'Strzeże' is third person singular present of 'strzec', taking the genitive: 'strzeże chaty' — guards the home.

  Cultural context

  Saint Agata's Day (5 February) was a major folk feast in Poland. Bread blessed that day was kept in the home as a protective charm against fire.

  Advanced

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!