In Poland, there is a fixed date for Mother’s Day – 26 May every year since 1914, when it was first celebrated in Kraków. How do Poles celebrate this special occasion?

This heart-warming holiday is mostly a twentieth-century invention, but it spread very quickly and became a nation-wide celebration of the effort mothers put in to bringing up their children. Women in Poland, like many women across the globe, need to balance professional development (nearly 62 percent of them have a career) with family life, which is becoming an increasingly disturbing problem in developed countries. Poles still hold some traditional values and therefore it is often the case that the majority of household duties fall on women’s shoulders. Luckily, it is days like this that the appreciation towards these responsibilities is shown in a clear manner.

Polish children are encouraged to make DIY gifts for their mums and the most popular one is a handmade greeting card (Polish: laurka). It usually depicts flowers or hearts and thoughtful fathers are supposed to help out kids by buying flowers or other presents for their mum to go with the card.

Usually, schools and kindergartens prepare special programs for mothers, sometimes for practical purposes merged with Father’s Day celebrations. They may include song recitals, talent shows, short plays, etc. If you are a parent to a school-age kid in Poland, be prepared for an extracurricular activity around 26 May!

If you do not have kids and your mother lives back in your country of origin, this holiday will probably not affect you in any way. But it is always nice to be reminded of the gratitude we owe to those who nurtured us and helped us be in the place where we are now!