The signing of the agreement was, among other things, the result of cooperation between the Second High School and Dr Gordana Durdev-Małkiewicz from the Institute of Slavic Philology, as well as the great commitment of teachers Barbara Sykulska and Małgorzata Matyjaszczuk to preserving the history of Poles who came from the territory of the former Yugoslavia from being forgotten.
The students and teachers were invited to Wrocław, where at the Institute of Slavic Philology they attended lectures devoted to Bosnian culture and an extraordinary Bosnian Christmas Eve celebration. They tasted traditional dishes and learned about the customs of their ancestors. The young people emphasized the importance of this experience.
“I had never asked and did not know why, during Christmas Eve at my home, we share bread rather than the Christmas wafer,” said high school student Łukasz Nieradka, who took part in the meeting. “It turned out to be a living tradition from Bosnia in our home.”
High school student Basia Busłowicz spoke about how surprised she was by an old Christmas Eve ritual she learned about during the meeting: during Christmas Eve, Poles in Bosnia prayed in silence and concentration; if a natural sound disturbed the silence, it meant death in the family or another misfortune. Ilona Forma became interested in another tradition: grain was scattered during Christmas Eve, and the women gathering it pretended to be hens, while the children pretended to be chicks. Today, sweets are used instead of grain.
The principal of II LO is seriously considering offering Serbian language lessons for those interested. “We are constantly expanding our offer to make the Second High School attractive to students,” says Mirosław Sakowski. “If so many students have Balkan roots, enabling them to learn the language is, in my opinion, a great idea.”
Barbara Sykulska and Małgorzata Matyjaszczuk developed two major projects connected with passing on knowledge about their families’ history to the younger generation. In May last year, an event called “Balkan Tea Party” was held. The high school hosted a meeting with Jan Bujak, author of the book “Galicians and Serbs.” A mini-concert was also held by the Jutrzenka group, which performed, among other songs, “Bałkanica” by the band Piersi.
In December, the major project “A Memory of Polish Bosnia” was organized. The project’s finale was honored by the presence of guests: district head Dariusz Kwaśniewski and Dr Gordana Durdev-Małkiewicz. The Second High School prepared it with the participation of the Association of Re-emigrants from Bosnia, Their Descendants and Friends in Bolesławiec. At the ceremony, the exhibition “Two Homelands in One Heart,” presenting the history of Poles living in the former Yugoslavia, was displayed.