The weather on harvest festival Sunday in Nowa Kuźnia (in Gromadka commune) was favorable, although the day before the event, the organizers, busy assembling the necessary equipment and putting up decorations, were cold and anxiously watching the cloudy sky.
The Sunday celebrations in the square by the village community center in Nowa Kuźnia began with a solemn Mass led by Dean Andrzej Jarosiewicz, concelebrated by three other priests. One of them was a Greek Catholic priest, Bogdan Harasim.
After the symbolic blessing of the harvest wreaths, the traditional harvest procession began, combined with thanksgiving rites for the gathered crops. One of the more picturesque ceremonies involved members of the folk ensemble Niezapominajki dancing around the event’s distinguished guests—MPs Tadeusz Samborski and Jerzy Szmajdziński, as well as the host, commune head Dariusz Pawliszczy. The parliamentarians also honored ten farmers who had rendered distinguished service to the commune for their many years of work in agriculture.
Once the traditional thanksgiving had been completed, festival guests could listen to performances by the folk ensembles Kalinki, Niezapominajki and Echo. During breaks between the folk songs and dances, younger spectators had the opportunity to admire the skills of the young breakdance troupe. The Bolesławiec Municipal Brass Band also did not disappoint, traditionally performing standards of classical and popular music.
One of the festival’s biggest attractions was the opportunity to ride in a special basket on a fire truck ladder above the surrounding trees and buildings and view the event from above. As befits a thanksgiving celebration, visitors could also sample specialties of local country cooking.
The harvest festival ended with a dance party accompanied by the Axel band, which played not only folk music. The event’s security was overseen by the Military Gendarmerie and Polish Red Cross rescuers. The organizers were Gromadka Commune Head Dariusz Pawliszczy, the Municipal Culture and Sport Center together with its director Bożena Kuchmacz, the residents of Nowa Kuźnia village together with its village head Helena Dzedzej and councilor Krzysztof Król, as well as the Wrzosowa Kraina Foundation.
(information Tomasz Matyjewicz/GA)