• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

  • Home
  • Polish Recipes
    • Polish Breads
    • Polish Soups
    • Polish Mains & Sides
    • Polish Desserts
    • Polish Pantry
    • Polish Beverages & Liqueurs
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Beverage
    • Salad Dressing
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • Stew
    • Main
    • Vegetables
    • Dessert
  • About
  • Expat Life
    • Art
    • Concerts
    • Crime
    • Current Events
    • Daily life
    • Dining Out
    • Euro 2012
    • Events
    • Holidays
    • Museums
    • People
    • Pets
    • Sightseeing
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • New? Start Here
  • Store
  • Polish Cookbook

Polish Mother’s Day (Dzień Matki)

May 26, 2019 by Lois Britton 1 Comment

In many English speaking countries, Mother’s Day always falls on a Sunday, a non-school, non-work day (for most). In the United States, Canada, and Australia, it’s always the second Sunday in May. In the United Kingdom, it’s always three weeks before on Easter on Leatare Sunday or Mothering Sunday.

Mother’s Day is a public holiday in countries such as Costa Rica (August 15, on the same day as Assumption Day), Georgia (March 3), Samoa (second Monday of May), and Thailand (August 12). Restaurants and cafes may be busier than usual as some people take their mothers out for a treat.

When is Polish Mother’s Day (Dzień Matki)?

Rather than a particular Sunday, Polish Mother’s Day (Dzień Matki) is always celebrated on May 26th, no matter what day of the week. First celebrated in Krakow in the early 1900s; it’s not a public holiday and was said to grow in popularity during World War II and after.

How is Mother’s Day celebrated in Poland?

Some schools may put on Mother’s Day events. Polish school children decorate a sheet of paper with flowers and personal notes for the mothers. These DIY greeting cards are called laurki; the singular version being laurka.

Thoughtful dads will purchase flowers or cakes to accompany the laurki from their children. There may be a family dinner where she is the one being served.

floral bouquet with dzien matki overlay

Everything I’ve read talks about Dzień Matki gaining in popularity after World War II. I wonder what the first-hand account would have been like during the communist decades when just getting by, was such a challenge.

I participate in the Amazon Associates program and earn a commission on purchases via the links below.

Mother’s Day in our family

As for my own Dzień Matki experience, there wasn’t one. Mother’s Day for us has always been the second Sunday in May.

I’ll usually get a phone call or text message from our daughters, all except one. One daughter says she focuses on being thoughtful and respectful all year long, and she is put off by the forced and often false nature of the holiday, something she’s observed over the years.

To all you Polish mom’s out there, wszystkiego najelpszego w dniu matki!

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.

Share this...
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Reddit
  • Whatsapp

Filed Under: Holidays, Polish

Previous Post: « Visit Poland’s Christmas Markets
Next Post: Marinated Czech Cheese (Nakládaný Hermelín) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angelina

    May 15, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    Thank you Lois, for reminding me when Mother’s Day is celebrated in Poland. With all that’s been happening lately, I would have forgotten to wish my 2 cousins (Halina & Irena) in Poland a Happy Mother’s Day. Bardzo dzienkuje, and I’m sure that your family made your day very special, as did mine.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Use the code POLISH15 for a 15% discount!

Welcome – Witam!

Hi, I'm Lois; welcome to Polish Housewife! Here you'll find my culinary and cultural adventures in Poland and in the USA.
Zapraszamy! Click here…

Polish recipes sent to your inbox!

* = required field

Looking for something special?

The Polish Housewife Cookbook – order your autographed copy here!

Footer

  • Privacy Policy
my photos on tastespotting
Living in Poland
my foodgawker gallery
Poland Blogs

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework