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Holidays in Poland are regulated by the Non-working Days Act of 18 January 1951 (Ustawa z dnia 18 stycznia 1951 o dniach wolnych od pracy) — Journal of Laws, No. 4 of 1960, item No. 28. The Act, as amended in 1990, currently defines twelve Public Holidays.
Holidays
Note: The table below lists only public holidays i.e. holidays which are legally considered to be non-working days.
| Date | English Name | Official Local Name (Informal Local Name) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Nowy Rok (Nowy Rok) | |
| Sunday in Spring (movable) | Easter Sunday | pierwszy dzień Wielkiej Nocy (Niedziela Wielkanocna) | |
| Monday following Easter Sunday | Easter Monday | drugi dzień Wielkiej Nocy (Poniedziałek Wielkanocny) | |
| May 1 | State Holiday | Święto Państwowe (Święto Pracy) | This holiday is intentionally not called Labour Day (see below). |
| May 3 | National 3rd of May Holiday | Święto Narodowe Trzeciego Maja (Święto Konstytucji Trzeciego Maja) | This holiday is usually called Constitution Day. (See Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791.) |
| 7th Sunday after Easter | Pentecost Sunday | pierwszy dzień Zielonych Świątek (Zielone Świątki) | As this holiday always falls on a Sunday it is not widely known. |
| 9th Thursday after Easter | Corpus Christi | dzień Bożego Ciała (Boże Ciało) | |
| August 15 | Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Wniebowzięcie Najświętszej Maryi Panny | |
| November 1 | All Saints' Day | Wszystkich Świętych | |
| November 11 | Independence Day | Narodowe Święto Niepodległości (Dzień Niepodległości) | |
| December 25 | 1st day of Christmas | pierwszy dzień Bożego Narodzenia | |
| December 26 | 2nd day of Christmas | drugi dzień Bożego Narodzenia |
The Picnic
Under communist rule the 1st of May was celebrated as Labour Day with government-endorsed parades, concerts and similar events. Following the 1990 changes, the Sejm decided to keep this day a public holiday but to give it the neutral name of State Holiday. In addition, the 3rd of May was created Constitution Day, so that Poles now have two public holidays within one week. It is customary to bridge the gap by taking a day's leave on the 2nd, and if the weekend falls favourably most Poles can enjoy nine work-free days while using up only three days of leave. For example:- Saturday (weekend) on 28 April
- Sunday (weekend) on 29 April
- Monday (1st day of leave) on 30 April
- Tuesday (Public Holiday) on 1 May
- Wednesday (2nd day of leave) on 2 May
- Thursday (Public Holiday) on 3 May
- Friday (3rd day of leave) on 4 May
- Saturday (weekend) on 5 May
- Sunday (weekend) on 6 May
It is usually impossible to do any business on 2 May as most government offices, banks, shops, etc are closed on this date. This extended holiday period is known as The Picnic (Majówka).
In February 2004, 2 May was named Flag Day; it was not, however, made a public holiday.
Other observances
- Mother's Day on May 26
- Fat Thursday on the last Thursday before Lent.
See also
"Holidays in Poland"