15th of August in Poland: The day of celebration

15th of August is a very important day for Poles because of many significant events. 100 years ago, the Polish Army stopped the campaign of Soviet Army. The Battle of Warsaw is known as the 18th the most important battle which decided the fate of the whole world. Besides the battle mentioned above, many important events took place on that day.

On the 15^th of August happened:

• 1649 – the Uprising of Chmielowski – the Battle of Zborów 
• 1723 – the coronation of the Image of Kodeńska Virgin Mary by the Stefan Rupniewski, the Bishop from Łódź
• 1760 – during the Seven Year’s War Prussian army won with the Austrian army in the Battle of Legnica 
• 1831 – during the November Uprising (18301831) 34 of Polish officers suspected of treason, Russian spies and agents were dragged out by the crowd from Warsaw’s prisons and they were hung or handcuffed with bayonets
• 1906 – Bloody Wednesday – 80 Russian officials responsible for brutal repressions in Poland were assassinated in 19 Polish cities 
• 1919 – German Grenzschutz soldiers opened fire on about 3 thousand coal miners and their families in Mysłowice
• 1941 –The Dark Forest Massacre – at night between 14th and 15th of August German Gestapo murdered about 250 representatives of Polish intelligentsia from Stanisławów

and many more. 

But importantly, the 15^th of August is the celebration of Polish Army Day and the Assumption of Mary. 

Polish Army Day refers to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland to commemorate the victorious Battle of Warsaw in 1920 called the Miracle on the Vistula, which took place in the Polish-Soviet War. On this day in churches, there are solemn Mass in the intention of the fallen soldiers. In Warsaw, by The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there is an honourable shift change in the presence of the supreme national authorities.  

The Assumption of Mary is a Christian holiday which refers to the assumption with the body and soul of Mary after her life on earth. Each year for that day the pilgrimages from all over the country go to Jasna Góra (the sanctuary with Pauline monastery in Częstochowa where there is an Image of Blessed Lady Mary of Częstochowa). In some Polish regions, this day is connected with the time of harvest.