Pulaski Day is well known in Chicago and Cook dinner County on the primary Monday of March. The day honors a Revolutionary Battle hero and the town’s vibrant Polish American neighborhood. Right here’s what to know concerning the vacation, its historical past and the way it is going to be celebrated this 12 months.
What’s closed for Pulaski Day?
All Chicago and Cook dinner County authorities places of work and courts will likely be closed on Monday, March 3. Chicago Public Library places may also be closed all day.
Most faculties, together with Chicago Public Faculties, will likely be open.
Put up places of work and banks may also be open, as it isn’t a federal vacation.
Who was Casimir Pulaski?
Casimir Pulaski was a Polish army chief who fought in opposition to Russian management in Poland earlier than becoming a member of the American Revolution. After assembly Benjamin Franklin in Paris, Pulaski traveled to America in 1777 and rapidly turned a key determine within the American Revolutionary Battle, based on the Chicago Public Library.
Pulaski organized and led the nation’s first cavalry, incomes him the title “Father of the American Cavalry,” based on the Nationwide Park Service. Pulaski died in 1779 from accidents through the Battle of Savannah.
His identify is now a well-recognized sight in Chicago — seen on Pulaski Street, Pulaski Park and different landmarks.
What’s Pulaski Day?
Pulaski Day, noticed on the primary Monday of March, honors Pulaski’s position within the American Revolution and celebrates the contributions of Chicago’s Polish American neighborhood. The vacation is held round Pulaski’s birthday, March 6.
Illinois established the vacation in 1977 beneath Gov. James Thompson. In 1986, the Chicago Metropolis Council handed a decision launched by Mayor Harold Washington to formally acknowledge it, following robust advocacy from native Polish organizations and neighborhood leaders.
Chicago’s Polish inhabitants — one of many largest outdoors of Poland — has lengthy used Pulaski Day to rejoice Pulaski’s legacy and its cultural heritage. As of 2023, about 130,000 Chicago residents and greater than 720,000 folks within the Chicago metro space have Polish ancestry, based on the Census Bureau.
Illinois is the one state with an official Pulaski Day. Nevertheless, New York Metropolis and Buffalo, New York, which have vital Polish communities, mark Pulaski’s contributions with parades held at totally different occasions of the 12 months.
Pulaski Day was initially noticed with faculty closures throughout Illinois, however that modified starting within the early 2000s.
How is Pulaski celebrated?
Chicago’s celebrations middle on an annual occasion on the Polish Museum of America. This 12 months holds explicit significance with Polish President Andrzej Duda attending the official ceremony — the primary time a Polish head of state has participated.
“Having the president of Poland right here is large for us,” mentioned Richard Owsiany, president of the Polish Museum of America. “It reveals how vital this present day is — not only for the Polish neighborhood however for all of Illinois.”
The occasion may also characteristic speeches from officers, together with U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, Cook dinner County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Illinois Appellate Court docket Justice Aurelia Pucinski. This system will conclude with a conventional wreath-laying ceremony at Stanislaw Batowski’s portray “Pulaski at Savannah,” which has been displayed on the museum because the Nineteen Forties. Whereas the ceremony is closed to the general public for safety causes, it is going to be livestreamed at 10 a.m.
“Pulaski has been memorialized within the U.S. for generations,” Owsiany mentioned. “For nearly 30 years, the museum has hosted this occasion to honor what he did for the nation and to maintain his legacy alive.”
What does Pulaski Day imply for the Polish neighborhood in Chicago?
For a lot of in Chicago’s Polish neighborhood, Pulaski Day is about greater than remembering a historic determine — it’s an opportunity to rejoice the heritage and are available collectively.
“Pulaski got here to the U.S. to struggle to your freedom and ours,” mentioned Bogdan Pukszta, govt director of the Polish American Chamber of Commerce. “For Poles like me, who had been born in Poland, Pulaski is somebody we grew up studying about. Right here, it’s about sharing that legacy with the broader American neighborhood.”
Pukszta moved to Chicago within the early Eighties, simply earlier than Illinois acknowledged the vacation.
“When Pulaski Day was first established, all faculties had the time without work. That’s modified, however the which means hasn’t,” he mentioned. “It’s a chance for us to rejoice, replicate and meet up with the neighborhood.”
Occasions like Pulaski Day additionally assist youthful generations keep related to their roots, Pukszta mentioned.
“For these aware of Poland, Pulaski is a hero. For People, he needs to be remembered as somebody who fought for this nation’s freedom,” he mentioned. “This vacation bridges each identities.”
Chicago’s Polish neighborhood gathers for different key occasions just like the Could 3 Structure Day Parade and Polish Independence Day in November — however Pulaski Day holds a novel place as a logo of shared historical past between Poland and the U.S.
“It’s not nearly Polish pleasure,” Pukszta mentioned. “It’s about honoring somebody who fought for each nations and recognizing the contributions of Polish People to Illinois.”
