Pilsudski's Name Day

Sulejowek (1925)

Jozef Pilsudski’s “imieniny” fall on the 19th March (St Joseph's Day) and were celebrated in the trenches of the First World War, followed by more grand celebrations in the interwar period. His wife Alexandra Pilsudska recalls one memorable year;

“Celebrations of my husband’s name day would utterly turn daily life at Sulejowek upside down. Orchestras would be playing from early morning and guests would fill the rooms from morning until evening bringing with them many gifts... one year he received two dogs, ten rabbits, one sheep, a deer, a fox, a goose and a cockerel. My husband flatly refused to give up any of the animals. The sheep ate the lettuce, the deer ate the spring flowers and the fox dug up all the flower beds."

The tradition of get-togethers organised by his supporters to mark the occasion spontaneously continued following his death, and continue to this day.

2022-03-18

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