National Day of Poland - 11 of November

National Independence Day

National Day of Poland - 11 of November (https://www.wincalendar.com/ Independence-Day-Poland)

National Day

A national day is a day on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or state. It may be the date of independence, of becoming a republic, or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler. The national day is often a public holiday. Many countries have more than one national day.

United Kingdom

April 23

St George's Day in England remembers St George, England's patron saint. The anniversary of his death, which is on April 23, is seen as England's national day. According to legend, he was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess. (https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/st-george-day)

France

July 14, Bastille Day, Fête nationale - French National Day



Spain

Oct 12, Hispanic Day, The Fiesta Nacional de España

Italy

June 02, Republic Day, Festa Della Repubblica

​Greece, 25th of March

​Greek Independence Day, national holiday celebrated annually in Greece on March 25, commemorating the start of the War of the Greek Independence in 1821... The Greek revolt was precipitated on March 25, 1821, when Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the flag of revolution over the Monastery of Agia Lavra in the Peloponnese.

​Romania, December 1st

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​Great Union Day is a national holiday in Romania, celebrated on 1 December, marking the unification of Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina with the Romanian Kingdom in 1918, something that is known as the Great Union. (Wikipedia)

Germany

• German Unity Day, October 03, Saturday.
• Day of Reformation, October 31, Saturday.

Poland

• Nov 11, Independene Day, Narodowe Święto Niepodległości
• May 3, Constitution Day, Święto Trzeciego Maja

November 11,

National Independence Day 

National Independence Day (Polish: Narodowe Święto Niepodległości) is a national day in Poland celebrated on 11 November to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic in 1918 from the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires.

Following the partitions in the late 18th century, Poland ceased to exist for 123 years until the end of World War I, when the destruction of the neighboring powers allowed the country to reemerge. (en.wikipedia.org)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuxn1Gamazk&t=176s

Historical meaning

Crucial to restoring independence was the defeat in the war of all three of the occupying powers.

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Russia was plunged into the confusion of revolution and civil war, Austria-Hungary disintegrated and went into decline, and the German Empire bowed to pressure from the forces of the Entente. 

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For Poles, this was a unique opportunity to reclaim their independence. (en.wikipedia.org)

The National Anthem of Poland

"Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" ("Jeszcze Polska Nie Zginęła") in English officially known by its incipit "Poland Is Not Yet Lost", is the national anthem of Poland.

LET'S LISTEN TO IT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W1TCX0W_7M

An Anthem

An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. 

What Is An Anthem

• ETYMOLOGY: Anthem is derived from the Greek ἀντίφωνα (antíphōna) via Old English antefn. Both words originally referred to antiphons, a call-and-response style of singing.

• HISTORY: Anthems were originally a form of liturgical music. In the Church of England, the rubric appoints them to follow the third collect at morning and evening prayer. Several anthems are included in the British coronation service.

THE NATIONAL ANTHEMS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthem

The story behind Poland’s National Anthem 1/5

The man behind the now famous lyrics is Józef Wybicki (1747-1822), a jurist by profession, but also a renowned Polish intellectual, poet, diplomat and political activist. 

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(https://kafkadesk.org/2019/02/23/the-story-behind-polands-national-anthem/)

The story behind Poland’s National Anthem (it is a military tune for Polish Legions in Italy) 2/5

After the 1795 partition of Poland, which erased the country from the map, between its Russian, Austrian and Prussian neighbors, Wybicki headed to Italy to help form the Polish Legions, to fight alongside France’s Napoleon Bonaparte’s army – who was seen, at the time, as the most promising bet to help Poland regain its independence.

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(https://kafkadesk.org/2019/02/23/the-story-behind-polands-national-anthem/)

The story behind Poland’s National Anthem (it is a military tune for Polish Legions in Italy) 3/5

As history has it, Wybicki wrote the original lines of the song in Reggio Emilia, near Bologna, in 1797 to celebrate the retirement of some of the Polish legion’s soldiers. But its uplifting melody and hopeful lyrics (March, March, Dąbrowski, from the Italian land to Poland, under your command, we shall rejoin the nation) quickly conquered the hearts of the soldiers and lifted the spirits of the troops.

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(https://kafkadesk.org/2019/02/23/the-story-behind-polands-national-anthem/)

The story behind Poland’s National Anthem 4/5

The founder and general of the Polish Legions Jan Henryk Dąbrowski – to whom the song is dedicated – wrote to Wybicki a few weeks later: “The soldiers seem to like your song more every day. We are humming it often too, with all the due respect to the author”.

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(https://kafkadesk.org/2019/02/23/the-story-behind-polands-national-anthem/)

The story behind Poland’s National Anthem 5/5

But while the origin of the lyrics is well-known, mystery looms over the identity of the author of the music. As legend goes, Wybicki might have composed the melody himself, supposedly based on the sound of his grandfather’s clock. But whoever the composer is, the music was most probably based on the mazur, a lively and upbeat national tune particularly popular among the Polish aristocracy.

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(https://kafkadesk.org/2019/02/23/the-story-behind-polands-national-anthem/)

123 years of absence on European political maps.

In November 1918, after 123 years of absence on European political maps, Poland regained its independence.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuxn1Gamazk (Animacja zmian granic Polski)

"MAZUREK DĄBROWSKIEGO"

• The LYRICS were written by JÓZEF WYBICKI in Reggio Emilia, Cisalpine Republic in Northern Italy in 1797

• The MUSIC is an unattributed mazurka and considered a "folk tune"...

• "Wybicki probably made use of melodic motifs he had heard and combined them in one formal structure to suit the text"- Polish Composer Pałłasz said.

• (www.wikipedia.org)

"Mazurek Dąbrowskiego"

Poland has not yet perished,

So long as we still live.

What the alien force has taken from us.

We shall retrieve with a sabre.

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March, march, Dąbrowski,

From the Italian land to Poland.

Under your command

We shall rejoin the nation.

Mazur / Mazurka

The mazurka (Polish: mazurek) is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strongaccents unsystematically placed on the second or third beat". The mazurka, alongside thepolka dance, became popular at the ballrooms and salons of Europe in the 19th century, particularly through the notable works by Frédéric Chopin. The mazurka and mazur are often confused in Western literature as the same musical form. (www.wikipedia.org)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRo0xXWlPps (Mazowsze)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6k8CUmtRE8 (F. Chopin)

Mazur rhythm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2vfnA_1pjk (Mazowsze rehearsal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRo0xXWlPps (Mazowsze)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6k8CUmtRE8 (F. Chopin)

Youtube - time ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W1TCX0W_7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioUutRw9WeQ (for kids)

Multiple Choice

Does Poland have a National Anthem?

• Yes

• No

• I don't know :)

Multiple Choice

When did Poland gain independence?

• In November 1918

• In November 1920

• In November 1939

• In November 1945

Multiple Choice

When it's an Independence Day in Poland?

• May 3

• Aug 15

• Nov 11

• Dec 24

Multiple Choice

For how many years Poland wasn't on a map?

• 53

• 73

• 123

• 153

Multiple Choice

Who was Jan Henryk Dąbrowski

• a songwriter

• Polish general and statesman

• Polish President

• Italian general

Multiple Choice

The melody of the Polish anthem is a lively and rhythmical...

• Kujawiak

• Mazurka

• Polonaise

• Oberek

• Krakowiak

Multiple Choice

Who wrote the lyrics for the National Polish Anthem?

• Dąbrowski

• Wybicki

• Napoleon

• Mickiewicz

Multiple Choice

When was the Polish national anthem written?

• 1797

• 1977

• 1779

• 1918

Multiple Choice

Where was the Polish national anthem written?

• Poland

• France

• Italy

• Russia