Culture in Poznań

Culture

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Tey*, Bamber!

I will always be fond of Bamber Day. It was during one of the Bamber Day events that I met the future protagonists of my photo exhibition, who were folklore enthusiasts and with whom I have remained in touch to this day. This year's Bamber Day will be part of a bigger Poznań Traditions Festival scheduled for 5-7 August.

Photo af a few women in traditional national costumes with decorative headgears - grafika artykułu
photograph: Katarzyna Nowicka-Rynkiewicz

Both the Poznań Traditions Festival and Bamber Day are intended to showcase and interpret Poznań's traditions. Their workshops, shows and concerts seek to highlight the diversity of customs in this capital of the Wielkopolska Region. "This year's Bamber Day celebrations will be an expanded version. They will kick off on Friday, 5 August, with the first edition of the Poznań Traditions Festival", says Ryszard Skibiński, President of the Poznań Bamber Society. "We are co-organising the event with Puenta Foundation. Day one will begin with a concert of the First Poznań Non-Symphonic Ukulele Orchestra. Day two will feature a display on Poznań's traditions. The first Saturday of August will be dedicated to workshops, shows and other events to be held in venues throughout Poznań. The festival will culminate with Bamberg Day, which includes a colourful across the city", he adds.

Plac Kolegiacki at the heart of events

The opening Ukulele Orchestra concert will take place in Poznań Estrada. Day two of the festival will start at noon with a traditional mechanical billy-goat show on the town hall tower. Saturday afternoon promises to be chuck full of concerts, debates, children's activities, Mozaika Theatre performances, crafts, and cooking shows. The day will culminate with a concert by the Morga band. A number of attractions are in store for children, among them storytelling theatre under trees and the painting of Poznań townhouses and Bamber women. All of these will be held in Plac Kolegiacki.

Also on day two, other Poznań cultural institutions will join the celebration. Porta Posnania has prepared a family tour along the Trail of Poznań Legends for children, a Treasure Hunter's workshop in the Porta Posnania building, a children's' urban game on the Poznań Legend Trail and the Rękodzielnie exhibition on Poznań's crafts. Exciting proposals have also come from the Genius loci Archaeological Reserve. These include a meeting with an archaeologist combined with a visit to the Łączny Młyn Silver Treasure temporary exhibition, a tour of the Church of Our Lady in Summo, a glass exhibition featuring the outline of the Poznań palatium, and a lecture by Łukasz Gruszczyński of the Poznań University of Fine Arts on A Cross-Section of Poznań: A Modern Approach to Traditions. Added to the mix are events held by the National Museum, the Animation Theatre, the Croissant Museum, and the Pyra Museum.

Under the skirt of a Bamber Woman

Early August is historically meaningful for Poznań Bambers. This season has traditionally been celebrated as an anniversary of the arrival of Bamberg settlers in this city. According to historical records, the first contract between the city and the newcomers was made on 1 August 1719. This occurrence is commemorated yearly on the first Sunday of August near the Bamber Woman well in the Old Market Square. For many years now, Poznań residents have been joined in that event by guests from Bamberg. "On Sunday, 7 August, celebrations begin with a procession led by a ladder wagon. The procession moves down Mostowa, Wielka and Ślusarska streets all the way to Plac Kolegiacki next to the City Hall. "This is where this year's entire programme will take place", announces Ryszard Skibiński. "It will start with reading out the first contract signed by the Bamberg newcomers. Traditionally every year, we hang flower garlands on the Bamber woman statue. This year though, due to the renovation of the Old Market Square, the statue is difficult to access. But to honour the tradition, we will drape a garland on a living Bamber woman. The Bamber Day will also feature appearances by music bands, including MPK Orchestra, Kapela Odloty, Wojtek Lipiński and 4tet. There will also be an "Embrace Folklore" folk game corner for children to learn about traditional games, have fun and compete with peers. Other plans for the day include a historical dialect-based guessing game and a show of folk costumes from Wielkopolska focused mainly on Bamber attire", says the President of the Poznań Bamber Society.

Bambers have an iconic status among Poznań's traditions. The Bamber maiden costume is richly decorated and known for its large intricate coifs. But that is not all that distinguishes Bamber attire from other Wielkopolska costumes. "What certainly sets them apart is their rich colours, an abundance of skirts and shapes that give a flattering body shape to the ladies who don the skirts, slips, cotton inserts and a few other items. How many layers are there under a Bamber's skirt then? "This depends on how much hardship a woman is prepared to endure. There are stories of women who would put on as many as four cotton inserts, which they referred to as "duvets". These days they only wear one, but there is also the slip, various skirts, and more. It normally takes time to put them all on unless one has had lots of practice. The most adapt ones achieve the feat within a half hour. Usually though Bamber women take about an hour to get fully dressed", says Ryszard Skibiński.

Wielkopolska is home to incredibly rich in ethnographic microregions. There are many more of them than the best known ones such as Szamotuły, Biskupizna and Bambers, which get the most attention. Poznań is strong on traditions and until recently it was not uncommon to spot residents sporting ethnic costumes in its streets. The August weekend will be an opportunity to learn about such traditions, but also to listen to the region's wiwat and przodek dances to music played by folk bands. You can also join in the frolicking. In what other ways will the traditions of the capital of Wielkopolska surprise us? Well, to find out, you will have to wait until August.

Katarzyna Nowicka-Rynkiewicz

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

*Translator's note: tey, also spelled tej, is a Poznań-dialect equivalent of "hey" or "yo".

  • Poznań Traditions Festival and Bamber Day
  • 5-7 August, pl. Kolegiacki

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