Celebrating Polish Constitution Day 2010
By Prescott Carlson in Miscellaneous on May 3, 2010 8:40PM
It seems you had to go out of your way to not stumble upon people walking in the streets if you were downtown last Saturday. Besides the May Day March, there was also the Polish Constitution Day Parade along Columbus Drive. The largest Polish parade in the world outside of Poland itself, the parade celebrates the Polish Constitution, which was ratified on May 3, 1791, making it the second oldest democratic constitution after the United States. While generally a joyous affair of Polish pride, this year's parade was reported to have a "somber mood" as parade participants and bystanders honored the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, Chicago-based sculptor Wojciech Seweryn, and other dignitaries who died in a fatal plane crash in April. The Polish Scouting Organization remembered those that perished by having each scout march with a photo of one of the 96 plane crash victims. While 250,000 were expected to be in attendance, CBS2 noted a smaller crowd and interviewed one person who said, "Each Pole is choosing to celebrate their heritage and mourn, in their own way."