Poland Celebrates Flag Day

• 2.05.2026, 13:45

Heraldically, the colors of the flag date back to the common history of the Kingdom of Poland and the GDL.

Poland today celebrates Flag Day, a public holiday established by the Sejm in 2004 to promote knowledge of Polish identity and national symbols, reports Polskie Radio.

The choice of the date was not accidental and has a historical justification: it was on May 2, 1945, that Polish soldiers of the 1st Kosciuszko Division hoisted the white and red flag on the Victory Column in Berlin. By capturing the capital of Nazi Germany, they contributed to the end of hostilities in Europe.

Another reason why Flag Day is celebrated on May 2 is that in communist Poland, on that very day, after the May 1 Labor Day holiday, citizens were required to take down their national flags so that they would not remain displayed during the - unrecognized by the authorities - Constitution holiday on May 3.

The Polish flag, consisting of two equal horizontal stripes - white and red - was officially recognized as a national symbol in 1919, a year after Poland gained independence after years of partitions.

The colors white and red had previously been considered national colors. They are one of the few colors in the world that have heraldic origin: they come from the colors of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland and the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The white color comes from the white eagle, the symbol of Poland, and the white Pogoni, a rider on a galloping horse, which is the symbol of Lithuania. Both of these coats of arms are depicted on a red shield background. On the flag, the white color is placed on top, as in Polish heraldry the color of the coat of arms is considered more important than the background.

Outside Poland, the official symbol of the country is the flag with the Polish eagle on a white stripe. It is used exclusively for the purposes of the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Poland.