Today's holiday ("Three Kings") - Is everything closed in Poland?

I heard today many shops are closed. But i had to work, so it's not a real holiday.
So this is a bit confusing to me.

What about bars and clubs? Will everything be closed?
Will it be more quiet?
I live far from the city center so before going i want to be sure that it won't be quiet.

I hope someone can answer me. Thanks. :)

Moved (post by Polonius3):

FEAST OF THE THREE KINGS IN POLAND

THE EPIPHANY-JANUARY 6TH

(Święto Trzech Króli)

This feast commemorates the visit to the Holy Family paid by wisemen or magi from the east. The Bible does not say how many were, but since it did mention their gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh -- the legend arose that there were three of them. One has been traditionally depicted as a Caucasian, another as a Moor (African) and the as an Oriental. Like people in Spanish-speaking countries, Poles in general tend to refer to those mysterious visitors as kings rather than wisemen. but the best-known Polish carol devoted to them is entitled 'Mędrcy świata' (Wisemen of the World).

It was only on January 6th that the figures of the Three Kings are added to the church's nativity tableau as well as the home Christmas cribs. The day starts with solemn Holy Mass (The Epiphany is a holy day of obligation in Poland!) at which chalk and items representing the gifts of the Three Magi are blessed. Upon returning home from church, the head of the family uses the blessed chalk to inscribe the initials of the Three Kings over the doorway, on the door frame or even on the door itself. This year, the typical inscription would read: K+M+B 2017. Sometimes the initials are inscribed by a priest who starts his New Year's pastoral visits on that day. The visiting priest may advise the family on its problems, update the parish records and bless the home, receiving a small gift for his effort.

This year for the 9th consecutive year Three Kings Cavlacades are again taking to the streets of more than 500 Polish cities and towns. They include the Three Kings astride camels or horses, knights, angels, devils and oteher masqueraders who process through the streets to a live Chrstimas crib to pay their respects to the Holy Family, Carols are sung and a blessing bestowed on participants.

After the communist take-over, the regime permtited only All Saints, two days of Chrsitmas, Easter Monday and Corpus Christ to remain as national holidays. After 1989, the Epiphany, May 3rd (Our Lady Queen of Poland) and Assumption Day (Aug. 15) were restored as national holidays.

I made a reservation at Oregano in WRO in an hour. So I know for sure that that one is open. And my Jabka is open from 1200 until 2000, thank goodness. After dinner I'll try to have a drink at "Schody do Nikad" (although I am not sure whether it is open yet). I hope it is less crowded.

But probably mine is not the answer you were waiting for ... ;).

I think most bars, restaurants and clubs are usually open, no matter what Holiday.

Thanks Stu, have fun tonight!

And AJ, you also thanks.
To be honest, it would have surprised me if everything was closed.
But i was just worried that everything will be quiet.

And for me a bar or club with only a handful of people inside is the same as a closed place; i quickly walk away! ;)

You're welcome bro. Just try to stop angering yourself over other people and go find yourself a chick who *does* like the sight of you. (Or try making at least a few friends outside of your usual network.) No need to stress out over anything, because I'm sure you'll get rejected another dozen times before you actually succeed. (Just like anyone else!) Just trying to help. (Don't ask me why though!)


Only a handful? I can't say I have much problems with that! (A, B, C, D, DD, whatever!)

;)

Yeah, everything is closed man. It comes form this very old tradition - where the three kings were travelling (which in fact were not three and not even kings, but what the heck let's not spoil the fun) everyone was supposed to close their business and we keep this tradition alive till now.

If the 3 'wise men' were really kings how come they gave Frankincense & Myrrh as gifts? That's pretty cheap of them. Okay, they gave gold too but how much? Could Joseph and Mary live off of it? Maybe start a home remodeling franchise?....and where were the Kings' entourage? Kings don't travel alone. No Queens, how come?

....and why didn't Jesus have any 'wise' poor visitors?
(One can believe in Christ without the unnecessary added details)

It's more significant than that...

As the three wise men came in the first said, "I bring gold!" The second said, "I bring Frankincense" and the third trod in a big cow poo. He said, "Oh, jesus christ!" and mary said, "Hey, Joseph, that's a nice name for the baby!"

this is the first time jan 6th is a day off and the shops are closed.

holidays in the middle days off the week end up as a long weekend and fcuk all getting done.

this is one holiday we don't need at all.

It certainly is.

When the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar followed the star from The East, across deserts and rivers, up hill and down dale all the way to Bethlehem, they entered the stable, knelt before Our Lady and the Prince of Peace, swaddled in a manger, and intoned in a sonorous voice "Now this is for your birthday AND for Christmas."

- not quite, I read it was like that up till somewhere 1960' or similar time. Then the commies removed this holiday and now... the 'commies' put it again, hahah.


- very neatly put, Mr Wrocław:)

They were as valuable as gold in those days.


Because they weren't kings. They were wise men.


He did.

Wasn't all that supposed to happen before Christmas :/

They're blokes. Had they planned earlier, they could have got whatever they wanted, but you know how it is.

What's more, they could have fedexed it if they'd sent it before the 15th. But no, so they had to deliver in person.

ZIMMY, you judge these wise kings by today's standards. The gifts they had were worthy of royalty. Myrrh and Frankincense were rare commodities at the time. They were just as valuable as gold. This was before the commercialized age of mass production and assembly lines.

Considering bathing was novel and mouthwash non existent...myrrh and frankincense were needed to quell an odorous existence.

Today it'd be bag of pot, bling-bling and some old spice. No wait - Lynx!

Making Dec 26 (which has no holiday traditions connected with it) a working day and changing Dec 24 (the most important part of the Christmas holiday) into a fee day would make much more sense. But making sense is not generally a factor when it comes to lawmaking in Poland.

Precisely. And if you do/can not take the monday/friday off, the holiday is almost wasted. I do wish that Poland could go with the UK system of having almost all holidays as Monday or Friday and giving days off in place of any holidays that fall on a Saturday or Sunday. But the Catholic church will never let something so sensible happen here.

I'd say that it was actually masterstroke by the government - they gave this as a holiday, but then made weekends holidays, unlike the old system of the first work day after a weekend holiday being a holiday as well.

People still haven't realised that they've actually lost more holidays than they gained.

But anyway, economically, it's just plain idiocy to have the 6th as a holiday - so many businesses are just making a long weekend out of it, so it's a 3 day week - no point at all!

The old system was that if a holiday was on Sunday, there had to be a day off given in lieu (either at the direction of the employer or the choice of the employee) but if a holiday fell on a saturday, tough luck. Has that system changed?

Yup - the holiday is now on the day it falls irrespective of what day of the week it is. There's no day off in lieu - so (for instance) Christmas Day is "lost" this year.

PO must be killing themselves with laughter over how they got people to accept worse conditions, all for the sake of some random holiday at the start of the year when nothing is getting done anyway.

well, isn't it also orthodox Christmas Eve? maybe a nod in their direction. Otherwise, I agree.

It might be some expensive designer cologne instead of Old Spice.

Also, myrrh was used for embalming people in those days. Frankincense was used as incense during prayer to God. The gifts are considered foreshadowing that Jesus was offered up as an offering to God and destined to die.

@A J

Thanks bro.
You sound like you also know what it is to be rejected. By Polish girls maybe? ;)


Well, in Netherlands you maybe get away with that, in Poland you better not try that! :D