Polish Heritage Days
The Polish Heritage Days is an annual festival organised and run under the patronage of the Polish Embassy in London. The idea behind Polish Heritage Days is to promote and celebrate Polish culture, heritage of past generations, and Polish contribution to the cultural, economic, and social life of the United Kingdom.
Polish Heritage Days runs throughout the month of May across the whole United Kingdom. The festival starts on the weekend around the symbolic date of 3 May, when in 1791 Poland proclaimed its modern codified constitution (as the first country in Europe and the second in the world after the United States), a symbol of freedom and equality. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the day of 2 May, which in Poland and in Polish communities around the world is celebrated as the Polish Diaspora Day and the Polish Flag Day.
The aim of Polish Heritage Days is to integrate the Polish community with other communities living in the United Kingdom, both at the local as well as national level, to share Polish culture, heritage and hospitality, and to present Poles as an open and tolerant nation.
Every year, the Polish ambassador encourages all Polish, British and international organisations alike, as well as Polish RC parishes and Saturday schools in the UK to actively participate in the celebrations.
The official symbol of the initiative is the red-and-white chequerboard used by the Polish pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain and which, thanks to the Embassy’s efforts, has unofficially become the symbol of Poles in the UK.