Transformation in the Polish Festival of Harvest

Abstract

The festival of harvest, called dożynki, is celebrated locally throughout Poland when all crops have been harvested from the fields, usually at the end of August or beginning of September. This tradition has been kept up for centuries in Poland, and although the core of the celebration has remained the same, there have been some changes of various kinds influenced by ideologies as well as technologies and global processes.
This article is a follow-up to my research on the celebration of dożynki in Poland in the 1950s, the results of which are presented in the publication Politics, Feasts, Festivals (2014). This time, I concentrate on the celebration of dożynki in recent years. I describe all parts of the celebration, indicating the changes that have occurred and comparing it to the celebration in the 19th century, each stage of which is described in detail by Zygmunt Gloger. The research is based on folklore sources, materials transmitted in the mass media, and my interviews with people who took part in such festivals, as well as on my own personal observations as a participant.