I had the good fortune to attend the 12th Annual Polish Festival at Our Lady of Częstochowa Parish in Phoenix this past weekend. Since the festival was only four days after my conference presentation, I recognized a few new faces I’d met earlier in the week.
Following a Polish Mass (church is church in any language) my friend and I cruised past the festival booths, checked out the food options and listened as dignitaries officially opened the festival.
Polish regional costumes remind me of Scottish kilts – every clan has their own. Thus watching Polish folk dancing is not one set of costumes, or one dance, it’s many, because each region has their own. The costumes were lovely, though I couldn’t help having sympathy for the dancers wearing their heavy costumes on a warm April afternoon. I’ve been known to sew and I’ve made costumes before. I even earned a Best of Show State Fair ribbon for a Renaissance vest I sewed for my son’s school play. But . . . . I can’t hold a candle to the priest who sewed ALL the costumes (I don’t know exactly how many ‘all’ is – there were about a dozen people in front of the church in fairly elaborate costume,) He even said mass in Polish costume and later joined the folk dancers.
I took a Combo plate of Polish food home to my husband. All in all it was a fun day. But I may need some tutoring to properly pronounce Częstochowa.
Na zdrowie!
Just for fun I’m adding a picture my friend Henry Zguda kept in his photo album.