While the day is celebrated in more than 140 countries, Poland is one of the few to mark it on 26 May, setting it apart from most other nations, which typically observe it on the second Sunday of May.
Historically, ideas around motherhood were long intertwined with the Catholic calendar and devotion to the Virgin Mary before a secular version of the holiday gradually took hold during the 20th century.
The first celebrations on Polish soil are recorded from 1914, in Kraków.
The holiday gained wider traction in the interwar period, largely through the Polish Red Cross, which organised events in schools and public venues across the country.
The first official communications tied to the date of 26 May are generally traced to 1924.
Mother's Day, Warsaw, June 7, 1939. Photo: photo not credited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Karol Nawrocki marked the occasion with a social media message wishing all mothers "health, joy, pride in your families, and as much love as possible", thanking them for their dedication and everyday care.
Poland's changing motherhood
New data from Statistics Poland (GUS), released to coincide with the holiday, show how the picture of motherhood has shifted.
The average Polish woman now has her first child at just over 31 – five years older than a generation ago.
Despite the trend, Polish mothers remain among the younger in Europe, where Irish women record the oldest average age at nearly 33.
The share of births outside marriage has risen from under 5 percent in 1980 to more than 28 percent in 2025, reflecting broader changes in family structures.
Total births have fallen sharply – from nearly 700,000 in 1980 to around 238,000 last year, one of the country's most pressing demographic challenges.
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR, tvp.info