Ephiphany - Święto Trzech Króli

Friday, 6th Jan, is the Feast of the Three Kings or Ephiphany, also known as Twelfth Night. How do you celebrate this occasion in Poland?

In addition to it being a holiday day of obligation* for Catholics, Warsaw and other major Polish cities hold Three Kings cavalcades (orszak Trzech Króli) attended by thousands. How widely is the Migdałowy Król custom practiced in today's Poland?

For the past few years it has been a work-free public holiday in Poland as it was before the Second World War.

*For the benefit of the heathens, apostates and otehr assorted godless types amongst us, failure to attend Holy Mass on a holy day of oblgaiton constitutes the same kind of grave sin as missing Sunday Mass.

Must be like 'Die Heiligen Drei Koenige' in Germany and Austria:-))

it's work-free, nothing more.

I don't know about "thousands" or "past few years", but the usual Nowy Swiat rabble were out in Warsaw on Friday for the public show, while holding the sign of their new religion; H&M shopping bags.

It was only remade as a public holiday last year, and most Poles treat it as an excuse for a long weekend at home; it's hardly a pious and noble religious event for most people here.

It was a great excuse to go to Wroclaw and drink with a friend of mine and his wife. I thoroughly approve - let's make sure that from now on, the 6th of January always falls on a Thursday, Friday, Monday or Tuesday!

Personally I found it to be the perfect opportunity to earn in a single day more than enough money for net and food in my week in the Czech republic.

Why would us "heathens" care about your definition of sin, if it doesn't apply to us? We might have been at the shul on Friday anyway lol.

Indeed there are beautiful pre-communsit Polish traditions. One of them is the Feast of the Three Kings which is now a public holdiay again wtih festive cavalcades down the streets of major cities. I'm sure that warms your heart, innit?

'Festival cavalcades down the streets of major cities' in a Polish January? Let's hope the snow ploughs are working and the 'cavalcaders' are well wrappers up.

Actually most people stay at home and keep warm on that day.

I'm still piissed off about being stuck with three kings and losing all the days off in lieu which we used to get when holidays were on a Sunday. But I guys you have to at least have visited Poland to know about thing like that.

No there are only some Mary mother of Christ celebrations, not mother's in general. Besides what is if someone is an atheist or of other religion? ;)


Why not?


Actually this year was no snow at all on 3 Kings.

I think you mean 'yes' rather than 'no'.


'Why' is a better question.


Ooh, you are argumentative today, aren't you. Typical weather was it this year? Now either run along or explain how the new public holiday for Trzech Kroli impacts on whether or not people in Poland are close to their grandparents, somee of whom they never visit, never even ring.