Polish holidays Polish holidays and and celebrationscelebrations

GENERAL INFORMATION Holidays celebrated in various countries can be divided into a few groups. The main

two categories are: national holidays and religious holidays. Currently 12 days are recognized to be public holidays in Poland. These non-working days are:

a) New Year’s Day; b) Easter Sunday;c) Easter Monday; d) State Holiday (1st May); e) Constitution Day (3rd May); f) Pentecost Sunday; g) Corpus Christi; h) Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also celebrated as Polish Army Day;i) All Saints’ Day; j) Independence Day; k) 1st and 2nd day of Christmas Apart from that people celebrate days which are deeply rooted in tradition and some

rituals or customs are connected with them (e.g. Fat Thursday). There are also occasions to say wishes to particular groups on their days (like for example Mother’s Day; Children’s Day, Teacher’s Day)

SPRING 8th March – Women’s Day March/ April – Easter (before

the period of Lent - which precedes Easter - Fat Thursday is especially celebrated (it’s similar to English Shrove Tuesday but we eat lots of doughnuts on this day – it’s the last Thursday before the Lent)

1st April – Prima Aprilis

SPRING

1st May – State Day (Labour Day) 2nd May – National Flag Day 3rd May – Constitution Day 26th May – Mother’s Day May/ June – Corpus Christi

SUMMER

1st June – Children’s Day 23rd June – Father’s Day

15th August – Assumption of Mary; The Day of Polish Army (celebrated on the anniversary of the battle of Warsaw in 1920)

AUTUMN

30th September – Boys’ Day 14th October – National

Education Day 1st November – All Saints Day 11th November –

Independence Day 30th November – St Andrew’s

day 6th December – St Nicolas

Day

WINTER

1st 24th December – Christmas Eve

25th – 26th December – Christmas

31st December – New Year’s Eve

January – New Year’s Day

WINTER

6th January – Epiphany 21st January –

Grandmother’s Day 22nd January –

Grandfather’s Day 14th February – St

Valentine’s Day