| Polish National Flag Day | |
|---|---|
 Polish flag on a house | |
| Official name | Polish National Flag Day |
| Also called | Dzień Flagi Narodowej Polski |
| Date | 2 May |
| Next time | 2 May 2024 |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Polish Diaspora Day |
The Polish National Flag Day, also known as the Day of the Flag of the Republic of Poland, is a national holiday in Poland which takes place on 2 May every year. The holiday is celebrated on the day between two national holidays: 1 May (called International Workers' Day) and 3 May (Constitution Day)
The Polish Diaspora Day is likewise celebrated on this date.[1]
The 2nd of May is not a public holiday in Poland. Still, many Poles take this day off since it is the only date in the calendar which occurs between two national holidays.
The holiday was first introduced to the Polish Parliament through a members' bill written by Edward Płonek on 15 October 2003.[2] According to the justification of the law introducing the holiday, there were several reasons why 2 May was chosen as the date. It marked a day when Poles could take a moment to reflect on Polish history due to the national holidays immediately preceding and succeeding Flag Day, and because it coincided with Polish Diaspora Day.[3] Historical reasons also played a key role in the choice of the date. On 2 May 1945, the First Polish Army conquering Nazi-controlled Berlin[4] put a white and red flag on the Berlin Victory Column and on the Reichstag. Similarly, the authorities of the Polish People's Republic stopped the celebrations of Constitution Day on 3 May and requested that all national flags be removed prior to it.[5] The establishment of the Third Polish Republic marked a rejection of a lot of the policies of the regime that preceded it, including a clear return to celebrations such as Constitution Day.
In the course of legislative work, the Senate of the Republic of Poland, in its Resolution of 12 February, 2004, proposed amendments such as: replacing Polish National Flag Day with the Day of the White Eagle, recognizing the emblem as the chief among the symbols of the Republic of Poland.[6] Eventually, the Sejm rejected the amendment and, on 20 February 2004, established the National Flag Day of the Republic of Poland.[7]
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Various types of patriotic actions and demonstrations are organized on this day. For example, on 2 May 2009 in Bytom, over 500 people created a white and red flag from previously prepared and simultaneously lifted umbrellas. It was probably the largest flag created in Poland on the occasion of the National Flag Day.[8]
In recent years, it has become common to wear a national cockade on that day. This custom was popularized by President Lech Kaczyński. It was continued by Kaczyńśki's successor Bronisław Komorowski, and now-incumbent President Andrzej Duda.
Analogous flag days are also celebrated in many other countries, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Finland, Turkmenistan, Lithuania, Ukraine and China.