All countries have holidays that are well-known, but each country has lesser known ones as well. Poland is no exception. Listed below are some observances that people outside of Poland might not be familiar with in terms of how they are celebrated.

Although everyone is involved in Easter festivities, not every country celebrates it the way Polish people do. For example, the day that is rooted in Polish traditions and is not common everywhere is Easter Monday, also known as Smingus Dyngus. It is a very special custom in Poland when people sprinkle one another as a symbol of new life because Christ rose from the dead. On this day you will see groups of boys waiting in the street or leaning out of windows waiting to throw water bombs at passing girls. Also, you will see people with buckets full of water chasing each other as well as the poor victims trying to run away from their pursuer.

Labor Day, which is celebrated in Poland on the first of May, was kept a public holiday after the 1990 changes but given the neutral name of State Holiday. In addition, the 3rd of May was created Constitution Day (on the anniversary of May 3, 1791 Constitution proclamation), so that the Polish nation has two public holidays within one week.

Usually during these holidays you can expect some shops, restaurants and most sights to be closed. If you are a tourist planning a trip to Poland at this time, it is well worth checking if your visit is going to coincide with one of these to avoid unnecessary frustrations and disappointments. It is also customary for most businesses (including the majority of banks and shops) to give their employees a full four days of holiday to bridge the gap. Generally speaking, both of these days are official holidays with ceremonies, marches, concerts and other festivities.

Apart from national holidays, Poland also celebrates numerous church holidays. Considered as a country “of intense commitment to Roman Catholicism”, all the great feast days of the church calendar are celebrated with wholehearted devotion. The most catholic of festivals is Corpus Christi, which is celebrated on Thursday, of the ninth week of Easter (sometime in May or June). This holiday is marked by colorful processions with white-dressed children and attended by hundreds of people.

On November 11, Polish people celebrate another national holiday, which is National Independence Day. It is a special day for Poland, as the country regained independence in 1918 after 123 years of partitions. On this day, similarly to Labor Day and Constitution Day, many ceremonies and festivities take place all over the country.

A well-established Polish tradition is the celebration of Andrzejki (St. Andrew’s Day) - the last festive day before Advent. It is not just an ordinary holiday as the fortune-telling games are what set this occasion apart from most other gatherings. The most popular games are: wax-pouring, when people read the future from the shapes of wax that was earlier melted and poured into cold water, and shoe line, when girls take their right shoes off and place them in a pile near a wall. One person, who does not take part in the game, is asked to line the shoes up heel-to-toe pointing towards the nearest door. The one whose shoe clears the threshold is said to be the first to marry. On November 29, the night before Andrzejki, many females write names of the opposite sex on pieces of paper and put them under the pillow. Then, when they wake up in the morning, they draw one piece of paper. It is said that the name written on it is the name of the future husband.

Also, a lesser known Polish holiday is St. Barbara’s Day celebrated on December 4. It is a traditional holiday for miners with special masses held for their safety as a counterweight to the jollity of their galas.

The observances that are mentioned above are not conclusive of all the holidays Poland celebrates. Regardless, these holidays are important to polish society and celebrated with honor and much enthusiasm.