City Life
Kolędy: a guide to Polish Christmas carols you'll hear everywhere
Kolędy fill Polish churches, markets and homes from December to Candlemas. Kolędy vs pastorałki, the canon everyone knows, and where to hear them.
traditions: articles for expats in Poland
City Life
Gęsina: Poland's St Martin's goose season returns 11 November
Poland's goose season opens on St Martin's Day. The Gęsina na św. Marcina restaurant campaign runs 11-29 November 2026 - the legend, dishes and how to join.
City Life
Barbórka: Poland's miners' day on 4 December - and its UNESCO bid
Barbórka, the St Barbara miners' festival, fills Silesia with brass bands and gala uniforms on 4 December. What to see, rituals and the 2026 UNESCO decision.
City Life
Christmas carp in Poland: buying live karp, prices and the rules
Why Poles buy live carp in December, what a Wigilia carp costs (14-70 zł/kg), where to buy it, the bathtub custom and the welfare rules sellers must follow.
City Life
Kolęda in Poland: the priest's Christmas home visit, explained
Kolęda, the Polish priest's home visit after Christmas: what happens, how to book, what to prepare, the envelope custom, and how to decline politely.
Family & Schools
Grandparents Day in Poland: Dzień Babci and Dzień Dziadka Explained
Poland honours grandmothers on 21 January and grandfathers on 22 January. How the holidays began, what laurki are, and what expat families should expect.
City Life
Fat Thursday in Poland 2027: Date, Pączki and Traditions
Tłusty Czwartek falls on 4 February 2027. Why Poles eat around 100 million pączki that day, what faworki are, where the custom comes from, and how to join in.
Family & Schools
Mikołajki in Poland: The 6 December Gift Tradition Explained
Mikołajki, 6 December: Poland's small-gift tradition that opens the festive season - what children find, where it comes from, and how to join in.
Guides
Polish Holidays 101: Public Holidays, Shop Closures and Traditions
All 13 Polish public holidays with 2026 dates, the Sunday shopping ban and its exceptions, and the traditions that change daily life. Verified October 2026.
Guides
What Is Wigilia? Poland's Christmas Eve Traditions and Food
Twelve meat-free dishes, the opłatek wafer, the first star and a carp with a communist past: Poland's Christmas Eve explained, with the new day off.
Guides
How Do Polish People Celebrate Christmas? A Guide for Expats (2026)
Wigilia on the 24th, twelve meatless dishes, the opłatek wafer and an empty chair: Poland's Christmas traditions explained, with Warsaw's 2026 market dates.
City Life
Autumn in Poland: Golden Leaves, Mushroom Picking and All Saints' Day
Poland's autumn rituals explained: the golden foliage of zlota jesien, family mushroom picking, seasonal food and the candle-lit cemeteries of All Saints' Day.