photo: Presidential Chancellery Poland’s Presidential Chancellery has published a 2010 calendar with a photo of Lech Kaczynski for each month of the year.
This is the first time a head of state has produced a calendar in Poland and, unlike in the US or elsewhere, there is no tradition of presidents issueing such gadgets.
The calendar depicts Poland’s head of state during official ceremonies. In the photo for the month of January, Lech Kaczynski and the First Lady Maria Kaczynska are receiving foreign ambassadors at an annual New Year’s meeting. In February the President is paying a visit to Mongolia (right) and in April President Kaczynski, surrounded by children dressed in traditional folk costumes, is taking part in the Easter celebrations.
Moving on to the summer, June sees the head of state throwing a kinder party at the Presidential Palace to celebrate Children’s Day, and in September Kaczynski is taking part in the harvest festival.
In other months the President is paying a visit to Vatican and showing the Pope Benedict XVI a photo album of Warsaw or kissing a saber during the Independence Day celebrations. There is also a photo of Maria Kaczynska wearing a Japanese kimono.
“The calendar has been issued for the 20th anniversary of the first free municipal elections in Poland,” says Pawel Wypych from the Chancellery of the President. “It depicts the president and his wife because it’s a presidential calendar,” Wypych pointed out to Gazeta Wyborcza.
The Chancellery has sent several hundred presidential calendars with New Year’s greetings to local authorities. Warsaw City Hall officials were surprised to receive a New Year’s gift from the President, who usually receive year planners from the President. (mg/pg)