There was no shortage of pomp and splendour outside the former Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk yesterday as Cardinal Jozef Glemp led more than a dozen bishops and scores of priests in an open-air Mass to mark the 20th anniversary of the Solidarity trade union.
An army band played, the navy provided a guard of honour and a choir sang patriotic hymns - only a little out of tune.
But the mood was low-key and the attendance, no more than a few thousand, fitted comfortably into the square below the giant sculpture commemorating the workers who died defying the communist regime in 1980.
Poland's Prime Minister, Mr Jerzy Buzek, was present but the most prominent foreign dignitary was the former British prime minister, Baroness Thatcher.
The most telling absence from the celebrations was that of Poland's President, Mr Aleksander Kwasniewski, who was not invited by the organising committee.
"It's as if the German Christian Democrats hijacked the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. These people only represent about 20 per cent of the electorate," said one Gdansk resident who left the ceremony after a few minutes.
The former Solidarity leader, Mr Lech Walesa, acknowledged the mixed feelings generated by the anniversary and the disappointment felt by many former dissidents at the development of Polish society since the collapse of communism.
"On the one hand, I feel great satisfaction at what has been achieved. But on the other hand, one cannot feel pleased with unemployment and poverty," he said.
" I won the Nobel Peace Prize and more than 100 honorary doctorates for our common struggle and I have my place in history. Nobody remembers the involvement of many of you," he continued.
The poor turnout in Gdansk and the critical tone of many Polish media reports indicate that the right-wing government's attempt to turn the anniversary to its political advantage may have backfired.
Opinion polls suggest that the unpopular government faces a further humiliation next month when Mr Kwasniewski, a former communist, is expected to win a second term in office.
In common with all mainstream political forces in Poland, the governing coalition supports Poland's early membership of the EU.
However, the departure of the liberal Freedom Union from the government earlier this year has slowed the pace of economic reforms needed to qualify for membership.
Among the populist measures proposed by the government is a plan to allow all tenants in public housing to gain ownership of their homes free of charge.
Mr Kwasniewski has promised to veto the Bill, even if it is presented before the presidential election.
Despite the economic progress of the past 10 years, unemployment remains high and many Poles, especially in the countryside, live in poverty.
Little has been done to find alternative employment for more than four million people who work on small farms, many of which are likely to go out of business whether Poland joins the EU or not.
The former foreign minister and civil rights activist, Mr Bronislaw Geremek, who advised the strikers in Gdansk 20 years ago, said that the founders of Solidarity had fulfilled half of their purpose.
"Our motto in those days was: for bread and freedom. We have the freedom but bread is a problem for many people," he said.
