Warsaw in April 2020

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Weather in Poland in April

April in Poland has a similar saying as March (‘Kwiecień plecień, bo przeplata – trochę zimy trochę lata‘ – April interweaves a little bit of winter and a little bit of summer), however, with the climate change, April in Poland is relatively warm and considered (along with May) by many people as the most beautiful time of year in Poland. An average monthly temperature in April in Poland is 8,5°C / 47.3°F and average monthly rainfall level is 37,3 mm (the second lowest after February).

It’s April when over 80,000 white storks (bocian) arrive from Africa to Poland (20% of their world population). You can notice yellow forsythias (forsycja) and daffodils (żonkil).

Read more about the weather and changes in nature in Poland in spring.

Shopping Sundays and trade ban Sundays in Poland in April 2020

In April 2020, there are two shopping Sundays in Poland: April 5 and April 26. Click here to read our post about shopping Sundays in Poland in 2020. Read our post with the list of online stores in Warsaw and other cities in Poland delivering groceries to home.

Changes in Easter holidays celebrations in Warsaw due to coronavirus situation, online services

According to current government regulations, no more than 5 people may attend a mass or other religious event at the same time (5 people + the priest).

The Catholic Church in Poland has granted, until further notice, a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

Holy Saturday (Wielka Sobota)
In Poland there is a tradition that people on Holy Saturday bring to churches baskets (called in Polish święconka) filled with food to get a special blessing. Baskets usually include eggs as a symbol of rebirth (pisanki – boiled eggs painted in various colors and patterns), bread, salt, sausage, sometimes other food – chocolate, cake, horseradish etc. Food from święconka basket is shared the next morning during festive Easter breakfast. In 2020, due to coronavirus situation, the blessing of food in churches in canceled. Instead, church authorities recommend saying a prayer before eating at home.

Easter Day (Wielkanoc) 
Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. Many people in Poland start the day with 6 am morning mass (Rezurekcja) with a procession. In 2020, due to coronavirus situation, all the processions are cancelled.

Online services – live videos
It’s relatively easy to find online services in English. If you would like to wach live mass in Polish celebrated in one of catholic churches in Poland, here are some options: Artistic Communities’ Church in Warsaw: Sundays 10.30 am, 1 pm (dedicated to children), 5 pm (Facebook live video), Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Warsaw/Franciscans: Sundays 12.30 pm (Facebook live video, YouTube channel), Parish of St. Dominic Warsaw-Służew/Dominicans: Sundays 6 pm (YouTube channel), Dominicans in Warsaw/Freta Street: Sundays 10.30 am (dedicated to families), 4 pm, 7.30 pm, 9.30 pm (YouTube channel), The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Sundays: 8 am (YouTube channel).     

Holidays, observances & celebrations in Poland in April 2020

April Fools’ Day (Prima Aprilis)
A day of pranks and jokes. Don’t trust anyone;) Including Polish media which also participates in the celebrations with lots of fabricated stories.

Palm Sunday (Niedziela Palmowa)
It starts the Easter celebrations. There are processions around the church to commemorate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. People bring „palms” (palmy wielkanocne) made of paper flowers, dried flowers, and twigs. In 2020, due to coronavirus situation, the processions are cancelled.

Good Friday (Wielki Piątek)
Good Friday commemorates passion and crucifixion of Jesus. In major cities in Poland, there are processions on the streets – people carrying a huge cross and contemplating passion of Jesus. In Poland, for many people, it’s a day of fasting – no meat, no parties, no alcohol. In 2020, due to coronavirus situation, the processions are cancelled.

Holy Saturday (Wielka Sobota)
People bring to churches baskets (called in Polish święconka) filled with food to get a special blessing. Baskets usually include eggs as a symbol of rebirth (pisanki – boiled eggs painted in various colors and patterns), bread, salt, sausage, sometimes other food – chocolate, cake, horseradish etc. Food from święconka basket is shared the next morning during festive Easter breakfast. In 2020, due to coronavirus situation, the blessing of food in churches in canceled. 

Easter Day (Wielkanoc) 
Bank holiday in Poland. Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. Many people in Poland start the day with 6 am morning mass (Rezurekcja) with a procession. In 2020, due to coronavirus situation, the processions are cancelled. The key event of a day – a family breakfast that starts with eating Święconka, then żurek soup (also known as white barszcz), bigos, sausage with horseradish, mazurek cake. Public institutions, stores, malls, shopping centers closed, only some smaller local convenience stores can be open and stores at gas stations. 

Easter Monday (Poniedziałek Wielkanocny), “Wet Monday” (Lany Poniedziałek)
Bank holiday in Poland. Śmigus dyngus – an old tradition in Poland in which people use buckets (kids usually play with water guns) to soak each other with water. It’s safe to stay home on Wet Monday and avoid street water fights;) Another Easter Monday tradition is to beat legs with willow branch or Palms (the ones used for Palm Sunday). Public institutions, stores, malls, shopping centers closed, only some smaller local convenience stores can be open and stores at gas stations.

Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943) and the Daffodils Campaign
The major celebrations of the anniversary of the uprising in the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Warsaw are held each year at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes and POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. POLIN Museum created the Daffodils (żonkile) Campaign to commemorate the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Every year on April 19th, hundreds of volunteers hand out paper daffodils to raise awareness of the uprising and its significance (Marek Edelman, the last leader of the Uprising, before his death in 2009, used to lay daffodils at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes every anniversary). Click here to read our tips in English on visiting the POLIN Museum, and here to read about visiting the POLIN Museum with children. Click here to read more in English about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

ONLINE open day and recruitment events at international schools and preschools in Warsaw in April 2020

Thames British School
ONLINE Open Day, 1 pm – 3 pm. Learn more in English.

Akademeia High School
ONLINE Recruitment Weekend for 2020-2021 academic year. Learn more in English.

What’s open and what’s closed in Warsaw and Poland – summary of coronavirus restrictions

Visit our website to follow daily updates on the coronavirus situation in Poland.

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Subscribe to Kids in the City weekly Newsletter in English – each Thursday you will receive an email with the list of family-friendly events in Warsaw for the upcoming weekend: