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Father’s Day in Central and Eastern Europe: the dates country by country

Poland marks Father’s Day on June 23, Romania in May, Latvia in September, Russia and Belarus in October and Bulgaria on December 26.

Updated 5 min read

Central and Eastern Europe has no single Father’s Day. Poland always marks it on June 23, Romania on the second Sunday in May and Lithuania on the first Sunday in June. Latvia waits until the second Sunday in September, Russia the third Sunday in October, Belarus October 21 and Bulgaria December 26. Ukraine, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia use the third Sunday in June, which is June 20 in 2027.

Key facts

  • Poland’s Father’s Day is fixed on June 23, has been marked since 1965 and is an ordinary working day.
  • Romania set the second Sunday in May in 2009, and Latvia has marked the second Sunday in September since 2010.
  • Ukraine adopted the third Sunday in June in 2019, and Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia mark the same Sunday.
  • Russia has used the third Sunday in October since 2021 and Belarus October 21 since 2022.
  • Bulgaria marks December 26, the Orthodox feast of St Joseph, a date a national women’s union confirmed in 1997.

With so many dates in use, ask which one your dad keeps. A dad who moved from Riga to Warsaw, or from Bucharest to Prague, may still expect the date he grew up with.

The dates, country by country

CountryRule202620272028
RomaniaSecond Sunday in MayMay 10May 9May 14
LithuaniaFirst Sunday in JuneJune 7June 6June 4
Ukraine, Hungary, Czechia, SlovakiaThird Sunday in JuneJune 21June 20June 18
PolandJune 23Tuesday, June 23Wednesday, June 23Friday, June 23
LatviaSecond Sunday in SeptemberSeptember 13September 12September 10
RussiaThird Sunday in OctoberOctober 18October 17October 15
BelarusOctober 21Wednesday, October 21Thursday, October 21Saturday, October 21
BulgariaDecember 26Saturday, December 26Sunday, December 26Tuesday, December 26

Dates without a weekday fall on a Sunday. For other parts of the world, see our Father’s Day dates around the world.

Where each date comes from

Poland. Eska reports that the tradition began in 1965, started by the editors of a daily newspaper in Łódź as a counterpart to Mother’s Day. It is an ordinary working day, not a public holiday, as Infor.pl explains, so a weekday date may mean a short evening celebration.

Lithuania. Tėvo diena falls on the first Sunday in June, as tv3.lt notes.

Latvia. Tēva diena falls on the second Sunday in September. LV portāls notes that it has been marked since 2010.

Romania. Ziua Tatălui falls on the second Sunday in May, one week after Mother’s Day on the first Sunday in May. The date was set in 2009, as Agerpres explains.

Ukraine. A presidential decree of May 18, 2019 set Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June, as Yurliga reported at the time. Ukrinform gave June 21 as the 2026 date.

Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia. All three follow the third Sunday in June, according to Pénzcentrum, Blesk and the Slovak news agency TASR. Pénzcentrum describes it as an intimate family occasion, not a grand holiday.

Russia and Belarus. Russia has marked Father’s Day on the third Sunday in October since a presidential decree of October 4, 2021. Belarus added October 21 to its official calendar of holidays and memorable dates in a decree of June 9, 2022.

Bulgaria. The Bulgarian News Agency explains that December 26 was confirmed as Father’s Day by a decision of a national women’s union on March 28, 1997, and that the date is the Orthodox Church’s feast of St Joseph. Catholics mark St Joseph on March 19.

How families mark the day

Customs are mostly informal and vary from home to home. In Poland, Eska suggests handmade cards called laurki from the youngest children, and a shared dinner or a short walk when the day falls midweek. In Latvia, LV portāls quotes the welfare minister describing a day when the whole family spoils fathers with kind words. Beyond that, ask the family what they usually do.

Choosing a bracelet for the season

The season depends on the country. A May, June or September date usually means lighter clothes and a bracelet that shows; our guide to bracelets with summer clothes covers that look. For a date late in the year, such as Bulgaria’s December 26, think about coat sleeves and gloves, and see bracelets with a coat and gloves.

In Poland, a handmade laurka from a child goes well with a simple bracelet chosen by an adult. In Bulgaria, December 26 comes the day after Christmas, so you may want to keep the two presents distinct. Our wrist-measuring guide explains how to measure his wrist and check the result against the size chart of the bracelet you pick.

Marking the day from abroad

If you live in the United States, the United Kingdom or Ireland, your calendar will likely show the third Sunday in June. That matches Ukraine, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia, but not the other countries in the table. Add your dad’s date, with the year.

Estonia, the third Baltic state, marks the day on the second Sunday in November, like Finland and Sweden, as our post on Father’s Day in the Nordic countries explains. For ideas beyond bracelets, see our complete Father’s Day gift guide.

Sources

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