During the tenth Star of Kindness, a parade of people dressed as angels was organized in the Market Square. Seventy workshop participants from Bolesławiec and Kamenz (the project’s German partner) created original, unique angel wings, which they presented to the residents of Bolesławiec.
Adults and children, as well as students from Bolesławiec’s special school, took part in the workshops organized by BOK-MCC as part of the EU project. “I felt like an angel walking in the parade,” said Jurek, a student at the Special School in Bolesławiec. Some students did not hide their emotion. The parade, featuring the “Bolesławiec” Brass Band and a group of fire dancers, was a deeply moving experience for them. “I cried because I was so moved,” admitted another student from the Special School, who made slender white wings from tulle.
Guests from Germany spoke about the event with great enthusiasm. They brought to Bolesławiec wings made during workshops in Kamenz. Treated to cabbage-and-mushroom pierogi and sweets before the performance, they not only praised the residents’ hospitality but were also delighted by the festive atmosphere in Bolesławiec.
“People of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest, signed up for the workshops,” said the group’s supervisor from Kamenz, Anna Haselbach. “It was great fun. Today’s parade was a deeply moving experience. We have very positive impressions. Bolesławiec is a beautiful city, nicely decorated for the holidays. We are very impressed by the event.”
The workshop participants had very original ideas for angel wings. They used various materials: tulle, canvas, faux fur, polystyrene, plastic bags and colored paper. The wings came in all sorts of shapes, from delicate, small wings to three-dimensional compositions mounted on enormous frames. Each angel had a different character and style. They were valiant, hussar-style, comical, regal and insect-elf-like.
Participants could win prizes—ceramic angels and paintings depicting angels—for designing the most beautiful and carefully made wings. They were awarded to Michelle Eggeling from Kamenz (an angel with yellow tulle wings) and Kaja Chimniak from Bolesławiec, whose white-and-purple wings were decorated with stars.
In their greetings to residents, the President of Bolesławiec and the Mayor of Kamenz spoke with great appreciation of the initiative to create international angels.
“The angels come from Bolesławiec and feel at home in Bolesławiec,” praised Mayor Roland Dantz. “Being together, creating together and integration are deeply human needs. The friendship between Germans and Poles is a gift, so together we should cherish it.”
Piotr Roman emphasized the unique nature of the tenth Star of Kindness and the meeting of residents of the two partner cities. “For ten years, we have met in Bolesławiec’s Market Square to symbolically begin the holiday season,” said the president. “Today, exceptionally, we are doing so surrounded by angels from Kamenz and Bolesławiec. I am pleased that this initiative by Ewy Lijewskiej-Małachowskiej, director of BOK-MCC, has been such a success. It is one of many EU projects that will connect us with our neighbors in Germany.”
An angel town was also created in the Market Square. It included a nativity scene with live animals and a house where Santa Claus read Polish and German Christmas stories to children. There were demonstrations of bauble painting, stalls selling traditional Christmas goods and stalls serving Christmas Eve dishes. A rich artistic program was presented on the stage.
Performers included the “Jutrzenka” folk ensemble, young people from the BOK-MCC vocal studio and the “Poeticon” ensemble. The “Bolesławiec” Brass Band played carols, while the “Haus der Begegnung” choir from Kamenz also performed a special Christmas program. Teatr Prawdziwy from Bielawa presented a Nativity play.
Milena Gajewska, Dominika Wiżgała, Daria Szuk and Joanna Paszkiewicz won the competition for the best performance of a pastoral song. All children and young people who wanted to present their vocal skills, knowledge of carols and sing carols with residents were welcome to enter the competition.
Readers of the Istotne.pl portal could watch a live image from Bolesławiec’s Market Square. It was viewed in more than 800 homes. The broadcast was made possible by our portal, BOK-MCC and the courtesy of the Bolesławiec City Office.
The “You Too Can Become an Angel” project is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and by state budget funds, with the support of Euroregion Neisse.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)