The name of Sierpień, the eighth month in the Polish calendar year, comes from the word sierp (ENG: Sickle) This bladed farming tool was an essential part of pre-industrial farming, especially during the long-awaited harvest season, which kicks off at around this time of the year, hence the name!
 

Today, farmers have more advanced technology to do the work for them. However, you can still catch sight of the characteristic haystacks that populate the fields and draw out all the wannabe influencers for a quintessential harvest selfie.

Meanwhile, in the big city, Sierpień offers yet another month of festivals to attend before summer officially begins to wind down. There are music and arts festivals, of course, however, you will also find a whole calendar of Jarmarki (ENG: Market Fairs) to attend in different major centers.

Each Jarmark is a great chance to try different Polish street food and check out the different kinds of arts and crafts from the surrounding region. The 1st of Sierpień is the anniversary of the start of Powstanie Warszawskie (ENG: The Warsaw Uprising), when the Polish resistance attempted to liberate the capital from German occupation in 1944. Every year at exactly 5pm, sirens are sounded across the country to commemorate Godzina „W” (ENG: W Hour) when fighting began on the streets of Warsaw. For a poignant minute of the day, life comes to a pause to remember the epic 63-day struggle and sacrifice of brave Warsowian Poles during WWII.

The 15th of Sierpień is another date of catholic observance, and quite a mouthful for English speakers: Wniebowzięcie Najświętszej Maryi Panny (ENG: The Assumption of Mary) when Mary ended her earthly life and ascended to the heavens. In Poland, this religious calendar date coincided with the miraculous Polish counter-offensive during the defense of Warsaw against the Soviet Red Army in 1920. For this reason, the 15th of Sierpien is also designated as Święto Wojska Polskiego (ENG: Poland Armed Forces Day) and there are plenty of military parades to catch sight of all around the country.

Check out other months in the Polish Calendar Year!