Polish National Flag Day
Polish flag on a house
Official namePolish National Flag Day
Also calledDzień Flagi Narodowej Polski
Date2 May
Next time2 May 2024 (2024-05-02)
Frequencyannual
Related toPolish Diaspora Day

The Polish National Flag Day, also known as the Day of the Flag of the Republic of Poland, is a national holiday in Poland which takes place on the 2nd of May every year. The holiday is celebrated on the day between two national holidays: the 1st of May (called International Workers' Day) and the 3rd of May (Constitution Day)

The Polish Diaspora Day is likewise celebrated on this date.[1]

The 2nd of May is not a public holiday in Poland. Still, many Poles take this day off since it is the only date in the calendar which occurs between two national holidays.

Establishment of the holiday

The holiday was first introduced to the Polish Parliament through a members' bill written by Edward Płonek on the 15th of October, 2003.[2] According to the justification of the law introducing the holiday, there were several reasons why the 2nd of May was chosen as the date. It marked a day when Poles could take a moment to reflect on Polish history due to the national holidays immediately preceding and succeeding Flag Day, and because it coincided with Polish Diaspora Day.[3] Historical reasons also played a key role in the choice of the date. On the 2nd of May 1945, the First Polish Army conquering Nazi-controlled Berlin[4] put a white and red flag on the Berlin Victory Column and on the Reichstag. Similarly, the authorities of the Polish People's Republic stopped the celebrations of Constitution Day on the 3rd of May and requested that all national flags be removed prior to it.[5] The establishment of the Third Polish Republic marked a rejection of a lot of the policies of the regime that preceded it, including a clear return to celebrations such as Constitution Day.

In the course of legislative work, the Senate of the Republic of Poland, in its Resolution of the 12th of February, 2004, proposed amendments such as: replacing Polish National Flag Day with the Day of the White Eagle, recognizing the emblem as the chief among the symbols of the Republic of Poland.[6] Eventually, the Sejm rejected the amendment and, on the 20th of February, 2004, established the National Flag Day of the Republic of Poland.[7]

Polish Flag hung in the destroyed Berlin, Germany on 2 May 1945.
Polish National Flag Day (2019),
Błonia Park and Kościuszko Mound, Krakow, Poland.

The celebration

Various types of patriotic actions and demonstrations are organized on this day. For example, on the 2nd of May, 2009 in Bytom, over 500 people created a white and red flag from previously prepared and simultaneously lifted umbrellas. It was probably the largest flag created in Poland on the occasion of the National Flag Day.[8]

In recent years, it has become common to wear a national cockade on that day. This custom was popularized by President Lech Kaczyński. It was continued by Kaczyńśki's successor Bronisław Komorowski, and now-incumbent President Andrzej Duda.

National Flag Day in the World

Analogous flag days are also celebrated in many other countries, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Finland, Turkmenistan, Lithuania, Ukraine and China.

References

  1. ↑ "Senat Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej / O Senacie / Senat współczesny / Udział Senatu III RP w życiu Polaków za granicą". 30 March 2013. Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Polish National Flag Day".
  3. ↑ "Edition number 2149 – orka.sejm.gov.pl" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "National Flag Day". Educational website. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Kruszyńska, Anna (2 May 2022). "Dzień Flagi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Skąd wzięło się święto?". www.gazetaprawna.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Senate resolution of 12 February 2004". Uchwała Senatu RP z dnia 12 lutego 2004 r. w sprawie ustawy o zmianie ustawy o godle, barwach i hymnie Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.
  7. ↑ Ustawa z dnia 20 lutego 2004 o zmianie ustawy z 1980 o godle, barwach i hymnie Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej [Amendment of 20 February 2004 on the changes in the Act of 1980 on the emblem, colours and anthem of the Republic of Poland], Dz. U. z 2004 r. Nr 49, poz. 467
  8. ↑ "The Life in Bytom ("Życie Bytomskie")". 4 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
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