In our circle, we make sure that we stand out with our outfits. Each of us has different skirts, corsets, blouses and shoes. I like blue and I like to show it.
I enrolled in music school myself and while studying, as a 13-year-old, I joined the local brass band – says Katarzyna Dobrzyńska.
First, I wanted to have children, then I took care of my education. I passed my high school leaving exam 13 years after finishing high school, and I didn’t finish college until 2016. My husband is patient and understanding and he helps me organize rural events. We work together as a family. (1) In the Mali Maniowianie regional group, we run various programs and content, above all related to the life of the former village of Maniowy.
In the Mali Maniowianie regional group, we run various programs and content, above all related to the life of the former village of Maniowy.
Vice President of the Roll-na Foundation. Photo: Olena Herasym_Easy-Resize.com.jpg
I have been a group instructor since 2010. We have developed many scenes, including: Wesele [Wedding party] and Jasełka Góralskie, Kolędnicy [Carolers], Lonkurs Jodła Góralskiego, Hałdamas, Polywacka, Na polanie przy pasyniu, Składacka, Zabawy przy Dunajcu [Games by the Dunajec], Jak się downij dzieci bawiły [How children used to play], Wilijo świyntego Jyndrzeja
Currently, we gather 60 children from 5 to 16 years old in the regional group – mainly from Maniowy, but there are also children from nearby towns.
The regional group was established on February 2, 1994, on the initiative of the then mayor of the Czorsztyn commune, Stanisław Wojtaszek. The first instructors were the activists of the Highlanders’ Association in the region: Maria and Józef Staszel from Nowy Targ. The team took the name of Mali Maniowianie, and chose the long-time parish priest of Maniów, the late Fr. Antoni Siuda, who died in 1992, as its patron.
Social activity is my life. I like to be at full throttle, to be active and to be among people.
Older people protested against the flooding of the old village, they did not want changes. They were used to their past life. It was a difficult time for them. Young people reacted in various ways.
I was brought up in the spirit of solidarity with the inhabitants of the countryside and the conviction that it is worth doing something for my little homeland.
My dad instilled a love for music in me. He himself played in the brass band in Kluszkowce from the age of 10.
I also work for the benefit of the local community in the Circle of Rural Housewives.
I am glad that there are still children who want to learn about old traditions. This year, for the first time, we participated in the International Festival of Children’s Folk Ensembles, Festival of the Children of Mountains in Nowy Sącz.
I signed up to learn to play the transverse flute myself. I don’t know why I chose this instrument, perhaps because it is so delicate and feminine.
In 1986, thanks to the help of firefighters and people of good will, my father founded the brass band in Maniowy – like it was in the former village. It now operates at the Cultural Center of the Czorsztyn Commune.
Here in Podhale there were so-called meter stick scarves. The handicraft itself is very time consuming, so now I mainly spice up the fringes. They are made of silk thread and are about 40 centimeters long. They are tied to a scarf and made into knots so that a specific pattern is created. I learned it myself – I unraveled an old scarf and figured out how to weave it from the thread to the ball.
She could bake cakes and take care of the house and also feel like a fulfilled woman, still being very active.