New Year's Eve in Poland

New Year’s Eve is a festive occasion that is celebrated in Poland on December 31. It is the day before New Year’s Day, which is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

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New Year's Eve is a festive time for many Polish people.

©iStockphoto.com/Andrejs Pidjass

What do people do?

Fireworks are lit and seen in the skies above many cities in Poland around midnight between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Many people toast drinks to farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year at this moment. It is also customary to wish friends and family a Happy New Year.

Other popular activities include sleigh rides, bonfires, dances, balls, parties and other forms of entertainment to celebrate the welcoming of the New Year. Meals include sausages or bigos (a Polish stew).

Public life

New Year’s Eve is not an official public holiday in Poland, but it is a busy time of the year for many shops, restaurants, and other commercial businesses. Traffic may be heavy in some parts of the bigger cities and transport services may be busy, as many people travel to attend events or spend time with family and friends.

Background

Many people in Poland and around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 31 and New Year’s Day on January 1 in the Gregorian calendar.

Symbols

Fireworks are lit to welcome the New Year at midnight between December 31 and January 1.

About New Year's Eve in other countries

New Year's Eve Observances

Related holiday

• New Year's Day ―Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Other holidays in December 2013 in Poland

• Christmas Eve ―Tuesday, December 24, 2013
• Christmas Day ―Wednesday, December 25, 2013
• Boxing Day ―Thursday, December 26, 2013