Nearly 2M Poles join the Three Kings Procession, a growing Epiphany tradition blending pageantry, faith, and national pride.
Newsroom (05/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) When the clock strikes 11 on Tuesday morning, hymns and trumpets will fill the winter air as nearly two million people take to the streets across Poland. From Warsaw to the smallest rural parishes, families, clergy, and children in paper crowns will join what has become one of Europe’s largest public demonstrations of Catholic faith — the Three Kings Procession, known locally as Orszak Trzech Króli.
What began as a modest school nativity play in the Polish capital just fifteen years ago has become a national tradition spanning 941 cities and towns. Participants dress as biblical characters, sing carols, and follow the Magi toward Nativity scenes arranged in public squares. The event marks the Feast of the Epiphany — the moment, in Christian teaching, when the Magi paid homage to the newborn Christ.
For the first time, EWTN Poland will broadcast the central procession from Warsaw live in English, beginning at 11 a.m. local time, offering the country’s festive spirituality to an international audience.
From classroom play to national celebration
The modern history of the Three Kings Procession dates to 2009, when a Warsaw primary school staged a nativity reenactment that spilled out into the streets. The following year, local families joined in. By 2011 — when Epiphany was restored as a national holiday in Poland — city governments began organizing their own processions.
Since then, participation has soared. In 2025, around two million people joined processions across 905 sites. This year’s expansion — to 941 communities nationwide — reflects both the grassroots enthusiasm and organizational prowess behind the event.
“We have prepared 600,000 crowns, 150,000 songbooks with Christmas carols, and 200,000 stickers,” said Piotr Giertych, president of the Three Kings Procession Foundation. “Each year, more and more towns want to be part of this experience.” In Warsaw alone, about 50,000 people marched last year.
A celebration of hope and reconciliation
This year’s theme, “Rejoice in Hope,” resonates with the Church’s Jubilee focus on pilgrimage and renewal. The motto echoes a poignant line from the 17th-century Polish carol “Mędrcy świata, monarchowie” (“Wise Men of the World, Monarchs”) and ties the centuries-old hymn to a message for today’s believers.
“We are referring to the Jubilee Year, which ends on Jan. 6 in the Catholic Church under the motto ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’” explained Anna Murawska, the national event director. “During the procession, we will talk about hope — not as mere optimism, but as trust in God’s mercy and the promise of meeting Him in heaven.”
Polish President Karol Nawrocki and First Lady Marta Nawrocki echoed that sentiment in a written message to participants, urging them to see the Magi’s journey as a symbol of perseverance and unity. “May the image of three monarchs who, despite adversity, pursued their goal — peace and reconciliation — inspire us all to build relationships based on mutual solidarity, understanding, and respect,” they wrote.
Tradition meets modern spectacle
Part pilgrimage, part pageant, the Three Kings Procession draws on Poland’s deep well of folk and liturgical traditions — nativity plays (jasełka), Christmas caroling, and costumed street parades — while opening itself to international influences. The colorful aesthetics recall the Epiphany celebrations of Spain and Mexico, where street processions similarly honor the Magi.
In Warsaw, the parade begins at the Copernicus Monument, proceeding along the historic Krakowskie Przedmieście boulevard to Castle Square. The final rally fills the city center with carols as thousands of voices rise together in the winter light — a blend of devotion and national celebration.
Faith in the public square
The sight of so many participants, young and old alike, marching in song has become a defining image of Poland’s contemporary religious life. Against the backdrop of a fast-changing Europe, the Three Kings Procession serves both as a public witness of faith and a reaffirmation of cultural continuity — a reminder that, in Poland, the Christmas season doesn’t end until the crowns are worn and the carols are sung together in the streets.
- Raju Hasmukh with files form CNA
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