Winter in Poland: 4 public holidays, 3 shopping Sundays, winter school break. Observances and celebrations in Poland in December, January & February

Shopping Sundays in Poland in December 2024, January & February 2025

December 15, 2024, December 22, 2024, and January 26, 2025, are shopping Sundays in Poland. Click here to read our post about shopping Sundays in Poland. Read our post with the list of online stores in Poland delivering groceries to your home. There is no shopping Sunday in Poland in February. The next shopping Sunday will be on April 13, 2025.

Public holidays and celebrations in Poland in the wintertime of 2024/2025

St. Nicholas’ Day (Mikołajki)
The name Mikołajki comes from Mikołaj (Polish for Nicholas), meaning little Nicholas. On the night of December 5-6, small gifts are secretly given to children while they are sleeping (little treats – toys but most of all sweets). One of the traditions is to hide treats in shoes. Children should clean them the night before, and the next morning (on Mikołajki day), they would find inside their shoes a small surprise. Chocolate Santas are often such a gift – they can be bought in Polish stores already at the end of November. In Polish schools, on December 6, there is a custom of exchanging small gifts between students. Children decide in advance the amount for which they will buy a gift and draw a person from the class to be given a gift.

The beginning of astronomical winter
The shortest day of the year. Click here to learn about the weather in Poland in the wintertime (December, January, and February).

Christmas Eve (Wigilia)
Christmas Eve is not a public holiday in Poland. Shops and businesses are open no longer than 2 pm. Christmas Eve Dinner – kolacja wigilijna – is Poland’s most important Christmas celebration. Click here to learn more about Christmas traditions and celebrations in Poland. The Christmas Eve traditions include waiting for a first star, the Christmas wafer (opłatek), 12 meat-free courses, an extra seat for an unexpected guest, hay under the tablecloth, and a special midnight mass (pasterka).

Christmas Day (Boże Narodzenie)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, schools are CLOSED. People in Poland usually visit family and friends to celebrate together, go to church, sing carols (kolędy), and spend long hours at the table.

Second Day of Christmas (Drugi Dzień Świąt Bożego Narodzenia)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, schools are CLOSED.

New Year’s Eve / St. Silvestre’s Day (Sylwester) 
It’s the start of the carnival season in Poland. People usually go out to parties and balls. Stores are typically open no longer than 5-6 pm.

New Year’s Day (Nowy Rok)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, schools are CLOSED. Only some smaller convenience stores can be open (e.g. Żabka). You can do essential shopping at gas stations.

Epiphany / The Three Wise Kings (Trzech Króli)   
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, schools are CLOSED. Christian holiday commemorating the three wise kings’ visit to infant Jesus. In Warsaw and other big cities, there are street parades. There is a tradition in Poland to write with chalk from the church above the entrance of your home: K+M+B (or C+M+B). The letters have two meanings: they represent the initials of Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar (Kacper, Melchior, Baltazar); it’s also the abbreviation of the Latin phrase Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house).

Grandmother’s Day & Grandfather’s Day (Dzień Babci & Dzień Dziadka)
People visit or call their grandparents to honor them. In kindergartens, there are usually events for grandparents.

Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, 33rd Grand Finale (Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy)
The most significant charity event in Poland. The 2025 winter fundraiser will be held for children’s oncology and hematology. Many concerts, shows, and other events all over Poland. Volunteers (including many children) collect money on the streets and give away to all donors red stickers in the shape of a heart. The Foundation’s website in English.

Valentine’s Day (Walentynki)
It’s a relatively new celebration in Poland (not observed in Poland during communism time before 1989) and is becoming increasingly popular. All restaurants are usually full; you need to book your table in advance;) School kids make Valentine’s Day cards, and couples remember to make a nice surprise.

Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek)
The last Thursday before Lent starts (similar to Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday celebrations), it’s a donut / pączek day in Poland. In the morning, you can notice long lines in front of bakeries and cafes all over Poland. People all day long eat pączki (donuts filled with fruit jam) or faworki (French dough pastry served with powdered sugar) at school, work, and home. There are contests for the best pastry stores in the city, and some families have pączek eating competition – who will eat the most donuts on Fat Thursday.

Winter school break in Poland

The school year in Poland is divided into two terms: the first/winter term (pierwszy semestr) and the second/summer term (drugi semestr). While the first and last days of school are set the same for all of Poland (the last day of school in Poland in 2025: June 27), the winter break (ferie zimowe) times differ for each Polish province/voivodship.

Click here to read our post about school holidays in Poland, including the dates of the winter school break in Poland in 2025 and 2026.

Subscribe to our monthly English newsletters to explore Poland and learn about it. Once a month, you will receive a Newsletter: ‘Explore Poland with Kids‘. You will find there family-friendly destinations in Poland – beautiful places in Poland worth visiting with children – from city break destinations to hiking in the mountains (lots of practical tips!); things you can’t miss in Poland in a given month; dates to remember, holidays, observances in Poland in a given month so you can mark your calendars accordingly.

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