A short presentation about some polish traditions.

Polish traditions and holidays: Noc Świętojańska Dożynki Zaduszki 3rd May Day

Noc świętojańska is celebrated especially in northern Poland – the Eastern Pomeranian and Kashubian regions (but also in the whole country) on June 23. People dress in traditional Polka dress, and girls throw wreaths made of flowers into the Baltic Sea, and into lakes or rivers. The midsummer day celebration starts at about 8:00 p.m. and lasts all night until sunrise. People celebrate this special day every year and call it Noc Świętojańska which means St. John's Night. On that day in big Polish cities (like Warsaw and Kraków) there are many organized events, the most popular event being the Wianki, which means wreaths. Noc świętojańska in Poland

Dożynki are holiday celebrated in Poland, especially in villages Dożynki are holiday celebrated in Poland, especially in villages. The celebrations on this day usually include singing hymns, praying and decorating churches with baskets of fruit and food in the festival known in other countries as Harvest Festival or Harvest Home or Harvest Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving. In Polish churches and chapels people bring in food from the garden, the allotment or farm. The food is often distributed among the poor and senior citizens of the local community, or used to raise funds for the church, or charity. In the USA and Canada, the festival is set on a certain day and has become a National Holiday known as Thanksgiving. In North America it has become a national secular holiday with religious origins, but in Britain it remains a Church festival giving thanks to God for the harvest. Dożynki in Poland

Zaduszki (also dzień zaduszny) is a Polish tradition of lighting candles and visiting the graves of the relatives on All Souls Day. Its origins can be traced to the times of Slavic mythology. The tradition of lighting candles comes from ancient slavic Dziady feast and originally was taking place on All Souls' Day. However, due to later common misunderstandings, it is performed nowadays mainly on All Saints Day, but, in that case is not called Zaduszki - the word Zaduszki originates from dzień zaduszny which can be translated as the day of the prayer for souls, and thus is more closely related to All Souls' Day. The first day of November is a holiday in Poland. As many people make journeys to visit the places of burial of their relatives, heavy traffic develops and accident statistics peak. Most commercial activity also ceases. Streets are filled with silent and solemn crowds, and cemeteries glow with thousands of candles, presenting a unique and picturesque scene.

The Constitution of May 3, 1791 is generally recognized as Europe's first and the world's second modern codified national constitution, following the 1787–90 ratification of the United States Constitution. It was adopted as a "Government Act„ on that date by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was in effect for only a year. May 3 was first declared a holiday on May 5, 1791. Banned during the Partitions of Poland, it again became a holiday in April 1919 under the Second Polish Republic. The May 3rd holiday was banned once more during World War II by the Nazi and Soviet occupiers. After the 1946 anti-communist student demonstrations, it lost support with the authorities of the Polish People's Republic, who replaced it with May 1 Labor Day celebrations. May 3rd lost its legal standing as a holiday in January 1951. Until 1989, May 3rd was a common day for anti-government and anti-communist protests. It was restored as an official Polish holiday in April 1990, after the fall of communism. In 2007, May 3rd was declared a Lithuanian national holiday as well. The first joint celebration by the Polish Sejm and the Lithuanian Seimas took place on May 3, 2007.

May 3rd Constitution, by Jan Matejko (1891) May 3rd Constitution, by Jan Matejko (1891). King Stanisław August (left, in ermine-trimmed cloak) enters St. John's Cathedral, where Sejm deputies will swear to uphold the new Constitution; in background, Warsaw's Royal Castle, where the Constitution has just been adopted.