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Polish Grandmother’s & Grandfather’s Days

January 17, 2020 by Lois Britton 4 Comments

Rather than Grandparents Day like we have in the United States, Poland has separate back to back days to honor grandmothers and grandfathers. Grandmother’s Day, Dzień Babci in Polish, is January 21st, and Grandfather’s Day, Dzień Dziadka in Polish, is January 22nd.

Grandparents can play an enormous role in the lives of their grandchildren. I know my grandmothers did even though we lived more than 100 miles apart. My own parents were very involved in our daughters’ lives even though they were still working fulltime. They were a tremendous help when we needed an evening or weekend babysitters, and they attended the girls’ dance recitals and concerts and were always willing to play. For many a Polish grandmother and Polish grandfather, the commitment to grandkids is extraordinary and daily.

Polish grandmothers Polish grandfathers specials days on january 21 and 22

Polish Grandparents

During my weekday outings, I saw so many of my Polish neighbors pushing a pram or out and about with toddlers. I would say it’s common for grandparents or even great-grandparents to be watching the little ones while parents are at work.

I know there are daycare centers for children in Poland. True, I only say that with certainty because I visited one with my friend Yana as she picked up her 1-year old daughter. On a side note, let me say that it takes a tremendous amount of time to get a child ready to go outdoors during a Polish winter. There are so many layers of bundling up, something that, fortunately, I missed raising children in Florida and Arizona.

While there are daycare centers and nannies, a more common arrangement is to have grandparents in the caregiving role if possible.

Interesting statistics on the subject:

  • Senior Poles are much more likely to be grandparents than their European counterparts.
  • On average, they have 3 grandchildren.
  • They are with their grandchildren more than other Europeans, 1.5 times more.
  • You can count on babcia and dziadek (in Polish: grandma and grandpa respectively) to spoil their grandkids with time, attention, and good things to eat.

Celebrating Grandmother’s Day & Grandfather’s Day

What form do these celebrations take? Nothing fancy, just a family gathering, a bouquet of flowers or some little gift. Children can make hand-made cards for their grandparents on this special occasion. Adult grandchildren should make an effort to visit their grandparents and acknowledge all they’ve done for them over the years.

How to Pronounce Polish Grandmother and Polish Grandfather?

No doubt about it, babcia and dziadek are important people in Poland, and you’ll want to be able to pronounce the words and these holidays:

Babcia – pronunciation

Dzień Babci – pronunciation

Dziadek – pronunciation

Dzień Dziadek – pronunciation

Why two slightly different words for each of these special roles? We will need a native speaker to tell us in the comments, but I suspect it has to do with how the word is being used. A grandmother or my grandmother? That’s my guess, and my Polish does involve a lot of guessing.

I hope you’re lucky enough to be on one side of a grandparent/grandchild relationship.

Pozdrawiam,

Lois

 

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Daily life, Holidays, Polish

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martha Kowalczyk

    January 19, 2020 at 11:19 am

    Thank you . As usual, I read to the end. What a surprise! Donna loves your book. She was so happy and excited when I gave it to her. She’s going to make the recipes she loved that her Mother used to make.

    Reply
  2. Phyllis Franz

    October 16, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    My daughters boyfriend gave me your cookbook for Christmas, I love it. I am theproud babcia of 8 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild with another due in Feb. Thank you.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Keiro No Hi: Respect for the Aged Day Japan Facts | Guidable says:
    September 15, 2022 at 10:13 pm

    […] “National Grandparents Day” in the US (the first Sunday after Labor Day) □ “Grandmother Day” (January 21st) and “Grandfather Day” (January 22nd) in Poland □ “Grandparents Day” in […]

    Reply
  2. Keiro No Hi: Respect for the Aged Day Japan | Guidable says:
    September 15, 2022 at 10:27 pm

    […] “National Grandparents Day” in the US (the first Sunday after Labor Day) □ “Grandmother Day” (January 21st) and “Grandfather Day” (January 22nd) in Poland □ “Grandparents Day” in […]

    Reply

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