On September 12-13, the 2009 Houston Slavic Heritage Festival took place on the grounds of Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church. Several groups danced, sang, and performed music! There were also vendors selling goods and foods from the Slavic cultures.
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2009 Houston Slavic Heritage VideoRead More »
2009 Houston Slavic Heritage Video Read More »
The conclusion of another informal family gathering, this time the occasion of the Houston Polish Festival, March 2009. That’s Brian’s kids leading the tune, “Piwa Kuba.” Cousin Ronnie Kazowski on guitar. Chuck in ben-ben, and Bradley Williams on concertina. I feel compelled to share this sort of stuff with you because it’s becoming apparent to me in my middle age that not all of y’all experience music this way, the way many of us here in Texas sort of take for granted: nearly every day in within a living context. It also makes me a touch melancholy as well to note that my own tribe is now so fully assimilated into the greater culture that it has nearly completely lost touch with these simple, everyday life events where music is simply the soundtrack.
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Texas-Polish Family Gathering VideoRead More »
Texas-Polish Family Gathering Video Read More »
Receiving the guests at the home of the parents of the bride. Before the church ceremony everyone would gather at the home of the bride to accompany the bridal couple to the church, but also to witness the blessing and symbolic farewells of the bride with her parents, relatives and friends. The blessing by the parents before church was seen as more important than the church ceremony itself. It was customary to have musicians playing as the wedding guests began arriving at the “Dom Weselny” wedding home for the blessing. Sometimes the musicians were rewarded with a small tip for their services. When the guests enter the home of the bride, they are greeted with bread or cake by the “Staroscina” bridesmaids and a toast of vodka to drink by the Starosta” groomsmen. The music is playing throughout this process as this sets the tone and excitement of the celebration. When most of the guests have arrived the blessing ceremony will begin.
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Receiving The Guests At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox WeddingRead More »
Receiving The Guests At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox Wedding Read More »
Arrival of the and groom and best man: Groom and best man “Starszy Druzba” arrive by “Siwy Kon” (Gray
Horse) and wagon to the “Dom Weselny” (Home of the Bride ) for the blessing and to take the bride to the church.
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Siwy Kon And Wagon To The Dom Weselny At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox WeddingRead More »
Siwy Kon And Wagon To The Dom Weselny At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox Wedding Read More »
Receiving the guests at the home of the parents of the bride: Continuation of Receiving the guests at the home of the parents of the bride.
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Music And Toasts At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox WeddingRead More »
Music And Toasts At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox Wedding Read More »
“Zareczyny or Zrekowiny” The engagement period: The main event on the night of
engagement was the tying together of the hands of the couple to be married. Because engagement was as binding as the marriage itself, it was always done in a public act in front of family and friends who acted as witnesses. Starosta joined the right hands of the couple above the bread, tied them together with white cloth, and made the sign of the cross over their joined hands representing “the joined endeavors of the man and woman to prepare the bread” that they always have bread beneath their hands.
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Zareczyny or Zrekowiny At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox WeddingRead More »
Zareczyny or Zrekowiny At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox Wedding Read More »
“The reading of the “Przemowa” ( wedding proclamation ): Part of the blessing Ceremony at “Dom Weselny” (The Bride’s home) The blessing and symbolic farewells of the bride with her parents and relatives.
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Reading of the Przemowa At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox WeddingRead More »
Reading of the Przemowa At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox Wedding Read More »
“Blessing Ceremony at “Dom Weselny” (The Bride’s home): The blessing and symbolic farewells of the bride with her parents and relatives. Before the church ceremony everyone would gather at the home of the bride to accompany the bridal couple to the church, but also to witness the blessing and symbolic farewells of the bride with her parents, relatives and friends. The blessing by the parents before church was seen as more important than the church ceremony itself.
…
Dom Weselny Blessing Ceremony At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox WeddingRead More »
Dom Weselny Blessing Ceremony At Mazurkiewicz / Wilcox Wedding Read More »
