3 May: festive observance of the millennial anniversary of Poland’s baptism

As Poland celebrated the millennial anniversary of its baptism in 1966, the Catholic Church with Primate Stefan Wyszyński (consistently persecuted by communist authorities) planned and carried out a series of religious events across the country. The key celebrations took place on 3 May 1966 at Jasna Góra, with thousands of pilgrims. Despite the authorities’ attempts at disruption, spontaneous mass observance of a religious holiday restored the spirit and awoke patriotic sentiments in the nation.