The organization of the Kaziuks in Poland flourished after 1989, when after the fall of communism it became possible to organize people displaced from the Vilnius region after the war. The associations they created began to resemble and propagate the traditions they had preserved from their homeland. They are supported in this by local governments and cultural centres.
Contemporary Polish Kaziuki are fairs, sometimes lasting several days, combined with artistic performances, workshops and various shows. At the stalls you can find regional food, crafts and folk and artistic handicrafts, bands and performers from the Vilnius region often appear on the stage.
You can find Kaziuki in many Polish cities. They are organized in Poznań, Szczecin, Białystok, Ełk, Police, Olsztyn, Zielona Góra, Suwałki, Świdwin and Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. We visited several of them to familiarize the readers of the “Kurier Wileński” magazine with how the cultivation of one of the most beautiful Vilnius traditions looks like in Poland.
Vilnius cranberries
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– In her stories, my mother always idealized Kaziuki in Vilnius – says Ryszard Liminowicz, president of the Poznań branch of the Society of Lovers of Vilnius and Vilnius Region. “Everything was perfect for her, even the weather was always perfect. Dad, who came from Trzeciakiszki near Dukszt, often teased her about this, mentioning that Kazimierz was usually windy, pouring or snowing. Mom bit back every time in the same way, saying that it must have been like that, but in Trzeciakiszki.
This year, the Poznań Society of Vilnius and Vilnius Land Lovers will organize Kaziuki in its city for the 30th time! – It all started with the fact that we organized ourselves in 1989, because it was already possible then, and then, step by step, we came up with new, different ideas for activities, until finally we started organizing Kaziuki in Poznań – says Liminowicz. – At the beginning, it was not a big event, but it grew year by year and now, when we have a nice, round jubilee, it is a considerable undertaking. This year’s Kaziuki will last for two days, March 4 and 5. On Saturday, in the great hall of the “Zamek” Cultural Center, the Song and Dance Ensemble “Wilenka” from Vilnius, with whom we maintain cordial contacts, will perform with a gala concert. On Sunday, everything will begin with a solemn holy mass in Poznań’s parish church with the participation of the “Poznańskie Słowiki” Boys’ Choir, followed by a procession of the Jagiellonian family from Fara to pl. Wolności, where this year’s fair will take place. At the fair, of course, you will be able to taste cepelins and other Vilnius specialties, buy folk handicrafts, palm trees, Kaziuki hearts, as well as occasional postcards. And, of course, there will be an artistic program. The Folk Group “Wielkopolanie”, the Representative Orchestra of the Air Force, Maj. Paweł Joks and the Swarzędz Flażolet Orchestra, which will take us back to the times of the Jagiellonian dynasty. And at the end of the fair there will also be an opportunity for participants to sing together, who will receive special songbooks for this purpose.
During the Sunday fair, the organizers of Poznan’s Kaziuki will present Żurawina, an award for “special merits for our compatriots in the Borderlands”, awarded since 2002. Its first winner was Tadeusz Konwicki. And it was also received by, among others: Bernard Ładysz, Fr. Józef Obrembski, Andrzej Przewoźnik, Michael’s sister Rak, Edyta Maksymowicz and Kapela Wileńska. It is already known that this year the honor will go to Wojciech Wietrzyński, the founder of the Swarzędz Flażolet Orchestra.
Ryszard Liminowicz recalls that the award was born by raising a toast to Tadeusz Konwicki’s health with cranberry jelly, which was always present in his home. – And according to Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna, this unique fruit contains the quintessence of taste, a bit of bitterness, astringency, acidity and sweetness. I thought there was a deeper thought to it,” says the president. – This is how the prize called Żurawina was created in my head. The flavor of the whole matter is added by the fact that every year we make every effort to ensure that our jelly contains real Vilnius cranberries.
Read more: The Kaziukas Fair is approaching
Kaziuki – Wilniuki
The oldest artistic event within the current borders of the Republic of Poland, preserving the traditions, culture, dialect and customs of the old Vilnius region from oblivion, is the “Kaziuki – Wilniuki” Vilnius Culture Festival. This year, its 39th edition will be held, under the slogan “To Mikołaj Kopernik – Vilnius”, obviously referring to the 550th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding astronomer. The main organizer is the Lidzbark Community Center, but the festival takes place not only in Lidzbark Warmiński, but also in other cities of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship: Olsztyn, Bartoszyce, Szczytno and Kętrzyn.
The event, organized under the honorary patronage of the province marshal, integrates the community living in the Warmian-Masurian region and the Polish community living in Lithuania. Polish artists from Lithuania come to Warmia and Mazury: dancers, musicians, writers, painters, journalists, writers, craftsmen who through meetings, concerts, exhibitions, conferences and workshops pass on the traditions of the old Vilnius region. For years, concerts have been conducted by Vilnius storytellers: Anna Adamowicz (Aunt Franukowa) and Dominik Kuziniewicz (Wincuk Bałbatunszczyk from Pustaszyszki). In their stories in dialect, they evoke forgotten customs and behaviors of people characterizing the old Vilnius region.
It is worth mentioning that from the inspiration of Kaziuk in the Lidzbark Community Center, the youth Folk Dance Group “Perła Warmii” was created, which develops its skills in folk dances, using the experience of such Polish song and dance groups in Lithuania as: “Zgoda”, “Wilia” or “Wileńszczyzna”.
This year’s edition of the festival promises to be very interesting, and it should be especially interesting in Olsztyn. – On Saturday, March 11, we cordially invite you to the conference and training center of the University of Warmia and Mazury at Dybowskiego Street – says Piotr Podgórski from the Municipal Cultural Center in Olsztyn. – After the pandemic years, we are counting on a full hall again as before, because tickets are selling well. In the evening program we prepared artistic performances of the Polish Folk Dance Group “Perła” from Niemenczyn under the direction of German Komarowski, the Art of Music group at the Cultural Center in Soleczniki and the Folk Dance Group “Perła Warmii” from Lidzbark Warmiński. In addition, the concerts will be accompanied by the traditional Vilnius fair. We can buy handicrafts and regional dishes there. Vilnius publishing houses will also appear.
Read more: In Vilnius, the presence of romantics can be felt on every corner
Kresy Culture Days
From 17 to 19 March, the Days of Kresowa Culture will be held in Białystok for the 24th time, organized by the Białystok branch of the Society of Friends of Grodno and Vilnius. – We are constantly working on a new formula for our event, we have shortened it – says Rafał Cierniak, president of the branch. – The Days of Culture used to last for three weeks, but we decided that it was too long, that it should be shorter, but more intense, with a rich program full of events. The most important is, of course, the Kaziukas fair with exhibitors and sellers from Lithuania. Everything else revolves around him. This year, we put a lot of emphasis on Vilnius due to the fact that it celebrates its 700th anniversary. There will be a special meeting regarding the anniversary with Tomasz Kuba Kozłowski, promoter of Kresy from the History Meeting House in Warsaw. In the room of Książnica Podlaska, arranged as a café from the interwar period, a specially prepared show will take place, although this may be a bit of an exaggeration, because it is more of a verbal and musical montage. The music will be prepared and presented by Projekt Zimne Dranie, a band from Białystok created by musicians from the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic. We will present the atmosphere of forgotten times through the customs and costumes of the interwar period. We will also introduce the cafe atmosphere through a coffee service and sweet refreshments. During the performance “Kresowa Cafe” will be visited by people characteristic of those years: an officer with his wife, students, a girl with her boyfriend, a refined aristocrat couple before visiting the theater, and just before their name day, even Marshal Józef Piłsudski will visit the cafe.
As Rafał Cierniak emphasizes, the Marshal’s name day, which falls on March 19, i.e. this year on the Sunday ending the Kresowa Culture Days, is celebrated every year in front of his Białystok monument and, of course, it will be no different now.
Among the interesting events of this year’s programme, it is definitely worth mentioning the meeting with Sławomir Koper, combined with the promotion of his books from the “Forgotten Borderlands” series. The Kresowa Culture Days in Białystok are financially supported by the Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Voivodeship and private sponsors.
Read more: Kaziuki-Wilniuki in the Warmian-Masurian Land
Suwałki Kaziuk
In Suwałki, on Sunday, March 5, for the 23rd time, Kaziuk Suwalski will be held, which is, as advertised by the organizers, “an indulgence fair in the realities of New Town”. – In Suwałki, we feel like heirs to the traditions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, because our city belonged to it for most of its history – says Magdalena Zielińska, an ethnographer from the Suwałki Cultural Centre. – We organize Kaziuk in cooperation with the parish of pw. st. Casimir the Prince and it is held at this church. Although the contemporary bazaar has a more metropolitan character, despite the passage of time, it has not lost its color. Its climate largely depends on whether it falls during the carnival or, as this year, during Lent. In the first case, the celebrations are more playful, in the second they take on a more reflective mood.
As at other events of this type, also in Suwałki you can taste regional Vilnius dishes or buy handicrafts. Captivating, hand-made folk ceramics, braided and conjured products made of wood, eye-catching colorful cylinders of Easter palms near Vilnius, colorful Easter eggs meticulously decorated with patterns handed down from generation to generation or artistic folk blacksmithing are only a part of the “exotics” creating a unique mood and unique atmosphere of this holiday .
Participants of Kaziuk Suwalski also appreciate the opportunity to buy appetizing “almost Smorgonian” obwarzanki and Kaziuk gingerbread hearts with sentences. Enthusiasts of tasty food will find tasty meats, bread, lard and other specialties prepared in traditional methods at the stalls. Everything will be accompanied by artistic performances, mostly by local soloists and bands representing the traditions of the Suwałki Region.
– Guests from Vilnius rather do not visit us, because at the same time they celebrate their Vilnius Kaziuki – continues Zielińska. – This does not mean, however, that the inhabitants of Lithuania do not come to our event. On the contrary, there are many of them, but mainly from the Lithuanian part of the Suwałki region, i.e. from Mariampol, Kalwaria, and also from Kaunas.
photo. Municipal cultural center in Olsztyn, archive of borderland culture days in Białystok, Society of lovers of Vilnius and the Vilnius Region branch in Poznań
Article published in the magazine “Kurier Wileński” No. 9(26) 04-10/03/2023
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