"The biggest two holidays In Poland are:

Christmas Day - it’s the most expected and very important holiday in Polish tradition. It’s celebrated on 25th December as a symbolic date commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. The traditions of this holidays include meeting with familyon Christmas eve (24.12) atthe common table, sharing the wafer, giving the best wishes and gifts, decorating Christmas tree and singing Christmas carols together. We also eat 12 dishes which don’t contain meat. Largely it is a family holiday, but the beautiful tradition instructs to leave an empty place at the table for unexpected guest.

Easter – Palm Sunday is a Sunday before Easter. On this day catholics go to church with colourful palms. Easter holidays can’t be celebrated without Easter eggs, it means decorated eggs. The other Polish tradition is preparing “święconka” – a basket with blessed food eaten for Sunday breakfast and a sugar lamb. A joyous celebrating starts on Easter Day. On the table covered with snow-white tablecloth a lot of food, meat, cakes, eggs in a lot of different forms and many other dishes should appear. Easter Monday is a bank holiday in Poland. It is called Wet Monday or ‘Dyngus’ and is an unusual tradition. It symbolizes Christian baptism and rebirth, but some people believe it may have pagan roots. It is the day when boys try to drench unmarried girls with water. They use buckets or bottles of water. According to tradition, the more a girl is splashed with water, the higher are her chances to get married. Usually groups of young men hunt for girls in front of churches or in front of their houses. I find it great fun, especially when the weather is sunny and warm. The only disadvantage is that your mobile phone might not survive the water attack. No passer-by can feel safe on the streets.

We also celebrate:

All Saints Day – on this day we go to cemetery with whole family and we visiting the graves of our dead relatives and close persons. We put and light candles, believing they are enjoying eternal life.

Independence Day (11th November) – it’s a public Holiday celebrated for commemoration of retrieving independence by Poland in 1918.

Mother’s day – a holiday celebrated on 26th May as sign of respect for all the mothers

Father’s day – holiday which is a sign of respect and gratitude for our fathers. It’s celebrated annually on 23rd June.

Grandma’s and grandfather’s days (21st and 22nd January) –these holidays are celebrated in order to honor our grandparents.

Valentine’s day (14th February) - yearly holiday for people in love.

What is more we have a lot of other holidays or important days connected with different traditions– Shrove Thursday, Epiphany, Labour Day, Constitution Day, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Children’s Day, Corpus Christi, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Andrew’s Day and Saint Nicholas’ Day.