Planning to visit Poland in 2019? Get the most out of your experience! Learn here about the most important holidays in Poland - fast and easy with PolishPod101!
| January 6, 2019 | Epiphany |
| January 21, 2019 | Grandmother’s Day |
| January 22, 2019 | Grandfather’s Day |
| February 19, 2019 | Nicolaus Copernicus Birthday |
| February 22, 2019 | Chopin’s Birthday |
| February 28, 2019 | Fat Thursday |
| March 5, 2019 | Ostatki |
| March 6, 2019 | Ash Wednesday |
| March 8, 2019 | International Women’s Day |
| April 14, 2019 | Palm Sunday |
| April 22, 2019 | “Wet Monday”/Easter Monday |
| May 1, 2019 | Labor Day |
| May 2, 2019 | Flag Day |
| May 3, 2019 | Constitution Day |
| May 8, 2019 | National Victory Day |
| May 26, 2019 | Mother’s Day |
| June 1, 2019 | International Children’s Day |
| June 20, 2019 | Corpus Christi |
| June 23, 2019 | Fathers’ Day |
| August 1, 2019 | Warsaw Uprising Day |
| August 15, 2019 | Assumption Day |
| August 15, 2019 | Polish Armed Forces Day |
| August 28, 2019 | Day of the Polish Air Force |
| August 31, 2019 | Day of Solidarity and Freedom |
| September 30, 2019 | Guy’s Day |
| October 14, 2019 | Day of National Education |
| November 1, 2019 | All Saints’ Day |
| November 2, 2019 | All Souls’ Day |
| November 7, 2019 | Marie Skłodowska Curie Birthday |
| November 11, 2019 | Independence Day |
| November 29, 2019 | St. Andrew’s Day |
| December 4, 2019 | Barbara’s Day |
| December 6, 2019 | Saint Nicholas Day |
How well do you know holidays in Poland?
In this article, you learn all about the top Poland holidays and the traditions and history behind them. Check the must-know Polish vocabulary for popular holidays in Poland too!
That way, you can easily talk about Polish holidays while improving your vocabulary and overall speaking skills. You will pick up key vocab, phrases, and cultural insights you won’t find in a textbook.
Perfect for any student interested in learning more about Polish culture. We will teach you the what, why, when and how of Poland holidays.
Also called Trzech Króli in Poland, Epiphany is when The Three Kings who came to visit baby Jesus are commemorated. Poles celebrate with lavish parades, good food and sweets (including a special cake), and the blessing of three “gifts” to represent the Three Kings’ gifts (these are chalk, golden ring, incense, and amber). The blessed chalk is used to write on each door frame of one’s house the letters “KMB” in order to keep bad things away.
January 21 is Grandmother’s Day in Poland. Grandmothers are celebrated and shown gratitude from their grandchildren on this day. This is often done through offering gifts such as flowers or cards. An interesting fact about this holiday is that it’s actually celebrated just the day before Grandfather’s Day.
Celebrated on January 22, the day after Grandmother’s Day, Grandfather’s Day is a day on which people show their grandfathers how much they care. It’s common in Poland for grandfathers to receive handmade items or other gifts.
Nicolaus Copernicus was an influential Pole, born on February 19, 1473. His work in the scientific and mathematical fields are of particular importance and fame; he’s known for developing the heliocentric theory, stating that the sun is at the center of the planetary system. On February 19 each year, he’s commemorated on his birthday.
On this day, Poles celebrate Chopin’s birthday. Chopin is best known for his masterful musical compositions, which led him to become a strong Romantic-era figure for many.
Fat Thursday is a day of gluttony (obżarstwo). This day is defined by donuts, called pączki. Donuts are made in cake shops in much, much greater amounts than usual. Supermarket shelves bend under the weight of different types of donuts, of which the Polish version don’t have holes in the middle. Another very popular treat on this holiday, typically made at home, are angel wings (faworki), which are sweet crispy pastries made out of a deep-fried dough shaped like a twisted ribbon and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Ostaki is the day before Lent begins, making it the final day that Poles have to feast; it is the last day of the Carnival week, and it’s name translates to “leftovers.”
On Holy Saturday, the day preceding Easter, all the blessed palms are burned, and their ashes are kept by the church until the next year. These are then used during Środa Popielcowa, meaning Ash Wednesday, when the priest sprinkles the heads of the faithful with them.
In Poland, Women’s Day began to be widely celebrated after the Second World War. It has been skillfully used by the socialist governments to promote the image of women (kobieta) as leaders in the workforce, who, through their hard effort and dedication, support their country. Today, the most popular gift is the tulip (tulipan). When women meet men on this day, regardless of whether they’re a boss, colleague, friend, or father, they can usually count on receiving a symbolic tulip.
Palm Sunday falls on the seventh day before Easter, and as the name indicates, is always on a Sunday. Palm Sunday has been celebrated in Poland since the Middle Ages, in Polish called średniowiecze, and commemorates the arrival of Jesus to Jerusalem. The symbol of Palm Sunday is the Easter palm or palma wielkanocna, which many Poles buy, regardless of religious affiliation, as a decoration associated with Easter. Those who value church traditions will go to church that day to get their palms blessed by a priest.
Wet Monday, as the name suggests, always falls on the Monday right after Easter. It’s a very cheerful day, and its most important symbol is woda, meaning water. Originally, Easter Monday was a pagan holiday. In the past, it was believed that pouring water on others would drive the winter away and accelerate the arrival of spring. This tradition of pouring water on each other has survived to this day. However, people in Poland don’t attach any special meaning to it. The most popular vessels for soaking others included psikawka, which are plastic eggs filled with water; water guns known as pistolet na wodę; used drink bottles; balloons filled with water; and the most traditional one, wiadro or buckets.
On May 1, Poles celebrate Labor Day, which has been a public holiday since 1950. During the time of the Polish People’s Republic (PRL), from 1952 to 1989, this was the day of the working class (klasa pracująca) and was celebrated reverently, with many so-called May 1 marches, demonstrations, and other celebrations, which people were required to attend. However, after the fall of communism, this holiday lost its meaning, and now only a few towns organize small marches or rallies.
Polish Flag Day, sandwiched between International Workers’ Day and May 3rd Constitution Day, is essentially observed as a day to remember the history of Poland and its important events.
The May 3 National Holiday is the commemoration of the adoption of the Polish constitution in 1791, which was the first constitution in modern Europe. In 1946, the communist authorities banned all celebrations of this holiday. If some municipalities ignored this ban and held them anyways, the State would often suppress the celebrations using the militia (bojówka).
Victory Day in Poland is the celebration and commemoration of when the Nazis surrendered in 1945. On this day, some common celebrations include speeches, meetings, and fireworks.
May 26 is Mother’s Day in Poland, and it’s common for mothers to receive various gifts on this day including flowers, cakes, and laurki (special Mother’s Day cards) on this day.
In Poland, Children’s Day has been celebrated since 1950. Since it isn’t a national holiday, children (dzieci) do have to go to school. However, schools usually choose to forego lessons on this day, instead opting to hold a variety of games (gry), exhibitions, workshops, and competitions. A very typical way to celebrate Children’s Day, particularly in middle schools and high schools, is by holding sport tournaments, or zawody.
This is a moving holiday, falling on the Thursday that comes sixty days after Easter. In Poland, the celebration of Corpus Christi took place for the first time in 1320. In 1420, it was considered a long-practiced, customary tradition and was celebrated in all the churches (kościół) in Poland. This is a so-called holiday of obligation, which means that the faithful are obliged to participate in the holy mass (msza święta). The main aim of the Corpus Christi celebration is to honor the Blessed Sacrament. Outside of Church traditions, there are also many folk traditions associated with Corpus Christi. One of them is the weaving of garlands (girlandy) from wild herbs, which are later used to decorate the church and altars along the path of the procession.
June 23 marks Father’s Day in Poland. While this is technically an unofficial holiday, Poles express love and appreciation for their fathers on this day, much as it’s done in other countries that celebrate this day.
On August 1 each year, Poles commemorate their liberation from Germany in 1944. This was the day the Warsaw Uprising began, which was essentially a plot of the Polish Underground Resistance to not only drive out Germany, but to have Germany defeated at the hands of their allies. The ultimate success of this plot is celebrated on Warsaw Uprising Day.
Assumption Day is the commemoration of when the Virgin Mary was, according to Catholic belief, “assumed” or taken up into Heaven. In Poland, this day is celebrated through Mass gatherings as well as honoring fallen soldiers.
August 15 is when Poles celebrate their armed forces, particularly when it comes to their victory in the 1920 Battle of Warsaw. As this holiday takes place at the same time as the Assumption Day, it’s also common for their to be church masses on this day.
August 28 marks the Day of the Polish Air Force in Poland, which is observed to honor the country’s air force. This force was developed in 1918, after World War I, and it’s seen some pretty horrendous things, such as when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 and it lost the bulk of its aircraft. The Polish Air Force is an important aspect of Poland, and thus is celebrated each year.
This holiday is observed in commemoration of when the Solidarity trade union was allowed to form in 1980 after labor strikes by certain Poles during an economic crisis. The forming of this trade union essentially allowed for better working conditions in Poland.
Poland celebrates Guy’s Day (also called Boy’s Day) as a way of showing appreciation to boys in light of Women’s Day’s popularity. On this day, boys (typically school-age) are gifted with things like chocolate or cards from girls.
October 14 is Day of National Education in Poland. On this day, Poles remember the establishment of the KEN, which stands for Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, or “Commission of National Education.” This establishment is important and respected for its role in allowing education to more people.
All Saints’ Day is a day of remembrance and a day to pay one’s respects to the zmarły, the Polish word for the dead. As this holiday is a day off work, many Poles return to their hometowns to visit the graves of their loved ones. Regardless of their religion, the majority of Poles go to cmentarz, or cemeteries, on this day to light candles and place flowers on gravestones.
November 2 is called All Souls’ Day or Zaduszki. Long ago, it was a pagan festival to honor the dead. It was once believed that on this day, the spirits of the dead known as duchy visited their loved ones, and therefore you had to be very careful not to harm or offend a visiting soul in any way on that day.
Marie Curie was a remarkable Polish woman, known for her various and extraordinary works in the field of science. In particular, she’s known for developing theories on radioactivity and actually coming up with that term. Not only was she the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, but also the first person to ever receive it twice.
National Independence Day is the most important national holiday (święto narodowe) in Poland. It’s celebrated on November 11, but has only actually been celebrated consistently since 1989. This day is celebrated to remind Polish people of their dramatic history, and aims to unite citizens on many different levels.
Today, the celebration of National Independence Day in Warsaw takes place mostly in Piłsudski Square by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Polish flags are hung up all around, including on buildings and special flag poles. In Warsaw and other major cities, marches, parades, and political speeches are organized.
If you want to know your przyszłość, the Polish word for future, make sure that you visit Poland on the night of November 29 and 30. This is when St Andrew’s Eve is celebrated—a night of magic and fortune-telling. Originally, due to the character of the divinations (wróżby), St. Andrew’s Eve was celebrated only by unmarried girls. In those days, it was believed that on St. Andrew’s Eve, a young girl could look into a well and catch a glimpse of a reflection of the face of their future beloved. These days, St. Andrew’s Eve is still a day for young people to enjoy themselves and get their fortunes told.
December marks St. Barbara’s Day, which is observed in commemoration of St. Barbara, a Christian martyr who lived around the second to fourth century. It’s thought that her father kept her locked in a tower in order to shelter her from the world, though she found out about Christianity and became a Christian herself, which led her father to ultimately behead her for her faith. (Though some believe he was struck by lightning before he could do so, and so ask Barbara to protect them from lightning as well.)
Saint Nicholas Day is a day that reminds Poles that Christmas is just around the corner, and is celebrated by exchanging secret gifts. Historically, in Poland December 6 is the day when people would celebrate the memory of Saint Nicholas of Myra, a historical figure of great importance. The story goes that he inherited a great fortune from his parents, but instead of keeping it for himself, he gave it away to people in need, never asking for anything in return. Nowadays, the benevolent Saint Nicholas has been replaced by the modern-day Santa Claus with his red suit and white beard. Still, in Poland the tradition of giving secret little gifts (upominki) on December 6 has survived the years.
You may ask why it is advantageous to know Polish holidays. There are a number of good reasons!
If you’re keen to learn Polish on your own, there are a number of ways to do this. Why not choose holidays as a theme? You can start by learning about the Polish culture, so find a video or TV program about holidays in Poland. Better still - find a video or program about holidays in Polish, and watch it a few times! That way your ear will get used to the spoken language. You could also watch Polish movies without subtitles, as this too will train your ear to what correct Polish sounds like.
If you’re more advanced in Polish, you can practice your writing skills by writing a letter to your Polish friend about the holidays video. Or write a short review of the video, and post it on social media! Imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Practice your Polish pronunciation, and record yourself talking about your holiday in Poland. Pronouncing words correctly in any language is very important, or you may find yourself saying things you don’t mean!
If you’re an absolute beginner, it would be best to start with a book, a CD series, free PDF cheat sheets and preferably your Polish friend who can help you. Or, you can start with PolishPod101, for free!
Holidays in Poland can also be the perfect opportunity to practice your Polish! For the best experience, make sure to master at least Level 1 of your Polish lessons here on PolishPod101 before you go on holiday to Poland. Then don’t be shy! Use it with every native speaker you encounter in every situation. Practicing continuously to speak a language is one of the most important habits if you want to become fluent. Or, if you’re a new subscriber to PolishPod101 in a hurry to get to Poland, study Absolute Beginner Polish for Every Day to help you get by as a traveller - you will be surprised how far a little Polish can go!
PolishPod101 is uniquely geared to help you master relevant, everyday vocabulary and phrases, pronounced correctly and in the right context - this will set you on the right track. Our courses are perfectly designed to help you in fun ways!
But do have a holiday first. Ideally you will enjoy a different culture with a visit, and enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. Don’t wait till 2020 to learn Polish through PolishPod101 though - it will open a whole new world for you!
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