The Parish Unity Festival in Różyniec already has a rich, long-standing tradition. The event owes its original name to the fact that the local parish unites three villages: Osła, Różyniec and Stary Łom, located in two different communes: Gromadka and the rural commune of Chojnów. This year’s festival was held on 15 July at the sports field in Różyniec.
The event traditionally began with an outdoor Mass celebrated by the local parish priest, Father Andrzej Tomaszewski. After the Mass, officially invited guests were welcomed, including genuine VIPs such as former Minister of National Defence and MP Jerzy Szmajdziński.
Traditional performances by local folk groups made up a large part of the event’s artistic programme. Niezapominajki from Osła, Ale-Babki from Różyniec and Kalinki from Rokitki, among others, sang and played. As always, the audience enjoyed the period-costume dancing performed by dancers from the National Dance Club at the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre.
During the festival, residents of our commune and the surrounding area once again had the opportunity to admire beautiful, purebred riding horses competing in precision-riding and high-jump contests. This time, presumably because of the scorching sun on the show-jumping course, the jockeys’ ambitions clearly did not match the horses’ willingness to jump over obstacles, and the standard of the competition was therefore not among the highest.
The evening programme was filled mainly with attractions for the younger members of the audience. Breakdance performances by a dance group from Bolesławiec drew a sizeable crowd. Even more popular were demonstrations of Brazilian capoeira, one of the martial arts combining dance elements with exotic music. The evolutions performed by the dancer-warriors were repeatedly rewarded with applause from the gathered young people. The event concluded with an original belly dance and a dance party to music by the Axel band.
All proceeds from this year’s festival will be allocated to renovating the floor of the filial church in Różyniec. The organisers of the event were Father Andrzej Tomaszewski, Gromadka Commune Head Dariusz Pawliszczy, the Parish Councils of Osła, Różyniec and Stary Łom, and the Municipal Cultural and Sports Centre in Gromadka.
(information and photographs by Tomasz Matyjewicz/GA)