Cześć wszystkim!
Finally, the period long-awaited by most Poles has come – majówka. If you've been working or studying intensively lately, now you can finally enjoy the much anticipated długi weekend (long weekend) – many institutions will remain closed until May 3rd and many people have left for a short holiday. Some will opt for a staycation but you will definitely see more local tourists around and people enjoying the sun and the majówka tradition – barbecue.
As all of you know, the 1st of May is the internationally celebrated Święto Pracy (Labour Day), when big cities organise parades and concerts in the centre. The 2nd of May is the Polish Diaspora Day (Dzień Polonii i Polaków za Granicą, introduced in 2002) and National Flag Day (Dzień Flagi Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej, introduced in 2004). The 2nd of May is not a public holiday – the National Flag Day has been introduced only symbolically, to link this day to May 3rd, although many people will take a day off from work to prolong their holiday.
The 3rd of May is, historically, a very important day – it is commonly known as Święto Konstytucji 3 (trzeciego) Maja (3rd May Constitution Day). On this day we celebrate the declaration of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (since 2007 this day is also celebrated in Lithuania). Constitution of 3 May (also known as the Governance Act – Ustawa Rządowa) was the second constitution in Europe and the third one in the world (after the Corsican Constitution of 1755 and the American Constitution of 1769) – something the Polish government is very proud of (the current constitution is from the 2nd of April 1997).
I hope at least some of you will have a chance to get out of the city for a couple of days and enjoy this year's majówka with your friends!Enjoy the long weekend!
David, OLS Community Manager – Polish