Unlike in many other Christian countries, St. Nicholas does not play a major role in Polish Christmas, but instead, is celebrated on his Saint feast day of December 6.

The Polish and German Jewish communities, which had played such an important role in defining the pre-1945 Jewish world, now virtually ceased to exist.

Polish literary critic and University of Warsaw professor Paweł Dudziak remarked that " in spite of the unclear role of its author, The Painted Bird is an achievement in English literature.

The chorus and subsequent stanzas include heart-lifting examples of military heroes, set as role models for Polish soldiers: Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, Napoléon Bonaparte, Stefan Czarniecki and Tadeusz Kościuszko.

The city's full official name is Stołeczne Miasto Poznań (" The Capital City of Poznań "), in reference to its role as a centre of political power in the early Polish state.

After this, in the mid to late 19th century, only in autonomous Galicia ( 1861 – 1914 ) was there a unicameral, functioning National Sejm ; it is recognised today as having played a major, and overwhelming positive role in the development of Polish national institutions.

* Description of the modern Sejm's role in the Polish political system

The recently made available US Department of Energy report revealed that the largest reserves of shale gas in Europe are in Poland and it is expected that its production will play an important role in the Polish economy in the near future.

Famous phrases of Gombrowicz are found in the novel and became common usage in Polish, for instance words such as " upupienie " ( imposing on the individual the role of somebody inferior and immature ) and " gęba " ( a personality or an authentic role imposed on somebody ).

In his role as supreme representative of the Polish state, the President ratifies and revokes international agreements, nominates and recalls ambassadors, and accepts the accreditations of representatives of other states.

The term " Fourth Partition " in a temporal sense can also mean the diaspora communities that played important political role in reestablishing the Polish sovereign state after 1918.

The Brauweiler Chronicle indicated that soon after the escape of her husband, Richeza and her children fled to Germany with the Polish royal crown and regalia, which were given to Emperor Conrad II and she subsequently played an important role in mediating a peace settlement between Poland and the Holy Roman Empire.

Former manager Leo Beenhakker, at that time manager of the Polish national squad, took over the role as Technical Director.

Pretending that it was an indigenous body representing Polish society, the PKWN took the role of a governmental authority and challenged the pre – World War II Polish government-in-exile in London.

The House of Sobieski was a noble family with a prominent role in Polish history, and the choice of name reflects the large Polish American element in the town's population.

It remained under Polish ( and briefly Swedish ) suzerainty and the rulers of Brandenburg had to swear – in the role as Prussian duke – formal allegiance to the Polish Crown.

The modernized fortress played a big role during the November Uprising in 1830-1831 and surrendered as the last Polish resistance point.

He had no grievance against Russia and while he privately sympathized with the Polish cause, in his role as foreign minister he rejected Polish demands.

Jacob gained international recognition and acclaim through her work with Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski, who cast her in the lead role of The Double Life of Véronique and Three Colors: Red.

In 1991, Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski cast her in the lead role of his film The Double Life of Véronique, the allegorical story of two young women, one in Poland and the other in France, both of whom are played by Jacob.

Well led, properly organized cavalry, in its complementary role to infantry, had four functions.

When McPherson pushed blindly through Snake Creek Gap in a potentially decisive movement, the only cavalry in his van was the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry, totally inadequate for its role.

In modern armoured warfare, armoured units equipped with tanks and infantry fighting vehicles serve the historic role of both the battle cavalry, light cavalry and dragoons, and belong to the armoured branch.

The shock role, traditionally filled by heavy cavalry, is generally filled by units with the " armored " designation.

Before the Iron Age, the role of cavalry on the battlefield was largely performed by light chariots.

In the army of the late Roman Empire, cavalry played an increasingly important role.

The decline of the Roman infrastructure made it more difficult to field large infantry forces, and during the 4th and 5th centuries cavalry began to take a more dominant role on the European battlefield, also in part made possible by the appearance of new, larger breeds of horses.

In the Indian subcontinent, cavalry played a major role from the Gupta Dynasty ( 320-600 ) period onwards.

The Spanish tercio and later formations relegated cavalry to a supporting role.

It was not until individual firearms gained accuracy and improved rates of fire that cavalry was diminished in this role as well.

Even then light cavalry remained an indispensable tool for scouting, screening the army's movements, and harassing the enemy's supply lines until military aircraft supplanted them in this role in the early stages of World War I.

Over a hundred other federal and state cavalry regiments were organized, but the infantry played a much larger role in many battles due to its larger numbers, lower cost per rifle fielded, and much easier recruitment.

However, cavalry saw a role as part of screening forces and in foraging and scouting.

At the beginning of the 20th century all armies still maintained substantial cavalry forces, although there was contention over whether their role should revert to that of mounted infantry ( the historic dragoon function ).

For the remainder of the War on the Western Front cavalry had virtually no role to play.

It was not until the German Army had been forced to retreat in the Hundred Days Offensive of 1918, that cavalry were again able to operate in their intended role.

In the Middle East, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign mounted forces ( British, Indian, Ottoman, Australian, Arab and New Zealand ) retained an important strategic role both as mounted infantry and cavalry.

There was a general reduction in the number of cavalry regiments in the British, French, Italian and other Western armies but it was still argued with conviction ( for example in the 1922 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ) that mounted troops had a major role to play in future warfare.

In the British Army, all cavalry regiments were mechanised between 1929 and 1941, redefining their role from horse to armoured vehicles to form the Royal Armoured Corps together with the Royal Tank Regiment.

Three Greek cavalry regiments ( two mounted and one partially mechanised ) played an important role in the Italian defeat in this difficult terrain.

All British Army cavalry regiments had been mechanised since 1 March 1942 when the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons ( Yeomanry ) was converted to a motorised role, following mounted service against the Vichy French in Syria the previous year.

For this reason, and because of their often decisive military role, the cavalry has typically been associated with high social status.

For instance prior to 1914 most officers of British cavalry regiments came from a socially privileged background and the considerable expenses associated with their role generally required private means, even after it became possible for officers of the line infantry regiments to live on their pay.

* Armored reconnaissance-a modern role in most militaries for ' cavalry ' titled units