Straw Shrouding Festivity
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Project Description
Straw Shrouding Festivity (Osadzanie Chochoła) is a Bronowice celebration inaugurated half a century ago and repeated each year. The event refers to history, evokes folk traditions, and references Young Poland’s artistic oeuvre. Each Osadzanie Chochoła is an independent project, initiated by the Museum but produced by the local community. Last year’s event was a response to social polarisation deepened by the pandemic. It connected the public in a collective activity.
Geographical Scope
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Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
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Description of the project
Summary
Straw Shrouding Festivity (Osadzanie Chochoła) is a local custom safeguarded by the Museum of Kraków. The event is based on the local community’s voluntary involvement and activity. Its key point is the covering of a rosebush with a straw wrap. The symbolic meaning of this action and the accompanying artistic programme refer to the local history and evoke folk traditions. It is also commemorating the famous wedding of Lucjan Rydel, a writer well known in Kraków, and Jadwiga Mikołajczykówna, a village girl, and referencing Young Poland’s artistic oeuvre – especially Stanisław Wyspiański’s drama, “The Wedding”. The play, considered a part of Polish literary canon, was inspired by Rydel’s wedding, and aimed to re-evaluate Polish history.
The events of 2020 diminished the impact of Osadzanie Chochoła – due to pandemic restrictions it could only take place with very few participants and was mostly moved on-line.That is why in 2021 Osadzanie Chochoła acquired a new dimension, included additional activities, and brought together diverse social groups.
Last year’s project included:
- The official Wedding Parade that passed through the streets of Bronowice. Local artists, residents, and pupils of nearby schools participated in it. During the parade the wedding traditions, Bronowice’s old rural character, and Young Poland artists – who were fascinated with this village – were being remembered.The participants sang and danced together.
- The rite of Osadzanie Chochoła, which each year takes place outside the Rydlówka manor house, accompanied by dancing and recitation. This event is put together entirely by the local community – from preparing the straw and correctly tying it up, through the folk costumes, to recitation, dancing, and singing.
- The event ended with a performative tour of Rydlówka, where the village wedding of Lucjan and Jadwiga was recreated. The visitors were able to “go back in time” and the local community had an opportunity to re-enact local traditions
Key objectives for sustainability
Straw Shrouding Festivity (Osadzanie Chochoła) is based on the local community’s involvement, knowledge, and resources. It barely generates any income (the Parade and Osadzanie are free, and tours are included in Rydlówka ticket price), and the costs of its organisation only include the remuneration of several people and refreshments for the children participating in the event. The event’s organisation is possible due to cooperation of various social groups – joint rehearsals, preparing wedding meals, sharing costumes, space, and knowledge abut the correct preparation of straw for making cords. The rite itself is also inspiring, as it is based on folk traditions which wisely and sustainably utilize the natural resources. The straw, protecting the roses during winter, is later used as a natural fertiliser. The reference to the neighbourhood’s former rural character mobilises the local community (also its youngest members) to care for their locality, protecting from destruction not only the memory, but also the environment. It’s about raising awareness, making a first step towards balance.
Throughout the entire year Osadzanie Chochoła determines the activity of Rydlówka, a branch of the Museum of Kraków. Its employees carry out educational workshops for children, youth, and adults, encouraging concern for one’s closest neighbourhood (Naturalni / The Naturals project), appreciation of its beauty (painting and photography plein-air workshops), and teaching handicrafts (Bronowice jak malowane / Picture-Perfect Bronowice cycle)
Osadzanie Chochoła is an exemplar of an event based on societal energy and cooperation, which is the key to both sustainability and circularity. These seemingly inconsequential activities teach how to cooperate, ask for help, share possessions, and raise awareness of one’s closest environment. Each organisation, regardless of its area of activity, can pass on the idea of sustainability through referring to community-based actions.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Osadzanie Chochoła draws from both folk traditions and Young Poland literature. The event is a celebration of colour, traditional song and dance, and the beauty of words – poetry recitation. Many participants wear colourful, traditional folk costumes.
The Parade that passed through the streets of Bronowice enlivened the space. On a somewhat cloudy November day, singing wedding guests walked through what is today a district of Kraków. The Parade made several stops, its participants danced, recited Young Poland’s poetry, told the story of the place. The contrast between the harsh, oft modern buildings of Bronowice and the colourful crowd was an aesthetic experience in itself. The ceremony taking place outside Rydlówka has similar power of influence – much like the wedding re-enacted inside, its participants wearing traditional folk costumes or urban attire from the late 19th and early 20th c. That is when the space vivifies and resonates, yet not through contrast, but – due to its historical character – through highlighting the nature of Rydlówka.
The event is also important with regard to cultivating and preserving traditional folk costumes of the region. Colourfully embroidered vests, skirts, aprons, chemises, men’s kaftans, and hats with peacock feathers are regaining value – not only historical, but also aesthetical. The local community meets to embroider bodices, aprons, and chemises (Art to the Point project, carried out by the Friends of Bronowice Society).
The aesthetics of Osadzanie Chochoła are not meant to be a lasting work of art, but rather an experience of the moment, built on tradition and local identity and focusing on the beauty of gatherings and clothing connecting the local community. It is possible to draw inspiration from this local tradition in any place.
In this respect, also words are of immense value – those of traditional songs, literature, poetry. Such words, when spoken in public spaces, sensitize to the beauty of language.
Key objectives for inclusion
Straw Shrouding Festivity (Osadzanie Chochoła) is a celebration of the local community, an event co-created by various social groups, coordinated and organised by the Museum of Kraków. In 2021 all three elements of the event were co-created by the members of the local Friends of Bronowice Society, pupils of 4 primary schools, sightseeing youth club, dance group “Dzieci Krakowa” [the Children of Kraków], and local amateur “Teatr Złoty Róg” [the Golden Horn Theatre]. Rydlówka volunteers, local parish priest, authorities and teachers at the schools involved, and the District Council also helped with the organisation. In total, approx. 90 persons were involved in organising the event. More than 400 people participated in the event (150 in the Parade, 200 in Osadzanie, 60 in the tour), the number already limited because of the pandemic restrictions. Two persons work in Rydlówka on an everyday basis.
The event overcomes barriers, as all willing are invited to co-create or participate in this project. The Parade and Osadzanie Chochoła in front of Rydlówka are free of charge, the performative tour is included in the entrance ticket to Rydlówka (14PLN normal tickets, 10PLN reduced ones).
The event has a cross-generational and assembling character. Seniors and children, professionals and amateurs, residents and guests are all equal. Because of the inclusion of seniors, the event is accessible to people who have special needs.
Preparation works for this project began already in late September, with the participants meeting, discussing the programme, rehearsing – at first individually, then in groups.
A formula that can be used universally is the idea of inviting for cooperation various social groups and enabling them to appear in front of the local communities.
Results in relation to category
Bronowice are a district of Kraków recently undergoing intense urbanisation. The influx of a vast number of new residents and the experience of the pandemic significantly fractured the character of the place. A strong division between the new and settled residents became apparent. The original, rural character of the district became almost completely erased, with blocks of flats and modern single-family housing cropping up.
In this context, Osadzanie Chochoła /Straw Shrouding Festivity is an example of a project that, most of all, allows for building a community. Based on folk tradition, history, and heritage, it engages and stirs to action diverse social groups. It is an important event also in the aesthetic sense – through the use of local folk costumes and invoking tradition and poetry it shows the beauty of gatherings and both high and traditional culture.
The Parade, as an activity within Bronowice, gives a different dimension to some of its parts, reintroducing their history. The playground and parking located where the ponds used to be gain a new meaning. They connect both new and old residents of Bronowice around tradition, becoming a pretext for a discussion about heritage and culture and their role in the contemporary world. They sensitize people to the necessity of caring for their surroundings and allow for being proud of the shared heritage and being part of a community.
The residents who take part in Osadzanie Chochoła participate in the Museum’s social campaigns also during the year – for example they share plants from their own gardens so that we can plant them by the road. They meet during workshops and lectures. Based on last year’s experiences, the seniors proposed we could organise a Bronowice Memories competition, which could be co-organised by the local schools, to bring different generations together. As Rydlówka is a small branch of the Museum, we observe these interactions and blossoming relationships.
How Citizens benefit
The involvement of particular groups was manifold.
The first, most active group consisted of the people involved in preparing the celebration. In 2021 the group of directly involved performers counted 90 people. We invited local schools, organisations, and theatre to be involved. The event took place in cooperation with the District Council and Parish. Each group was responsible for a particular part of the celebration. The Museum coordinated the preparations, passing down the materials, organising rehearsals and contacting particular groups with each other. Each group decided on the character of their performance, was able to change the script, choose the poetry passages, and introduce changes to the narrative. The entire celebration was led by three primary school pupils. It highlighted the local and grassroots character of the celebration. We aimed to only motivate to action and suggest solutions, allowing the residents to have space to act.
What is important is that through the children – pupils – we were able to also reach their parents, who also became involved in the celebration. They rented costumes, asked after their historical appearance, and prepared the recited texts with the children, proposing changes or additions to the script.
The second group consisted of the audience of the three activities of Straw Shrouding Festivity. Some participants made reservations for the event (unfortunately the pandemic restrictions imposed attendance limits), some joined when it was already on (the Parade). These participants were also invited to take part in the activities, collectively singing and dancing. Many participants were already wearing elements of folk costumes.
The event was co-created by the residents of the area regardless of their age and duration of residence. Hence, the fundamental benefit of the event was its ability to bring people together, encouraging them to cooperate and share experiences, building pride of their “little homeland".
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
Cultural practices, workshops, lectures, and meetings are usually based on imposing ready-made solutions and engaging individuals rather than communities. Osadzanie Chochoła / Straw Shrouding Festivity is a project that not only engages the community, but also involves it in organising the event. It is a participatory event, also characterised by its scale – the substantial number of people involved.
Another aspect not often found in cultural activity is conjoining high and traditional culture. Osadzanie Chochoła weaves together traditional folk songs, dances, and wedding customs with a historical narrative and the poetry of Young Poland artists (turn of the 19th and 20th c.).
Activity not only within the framework of an institution, but also within the city scape, is also a characteristic of this project. It is also a clear sign that the event is meant to bring together the entire community and is a local celebration.
Learning transferred to other parties
Straw Shrouding Festivity (Osadzanie Chochoła) has a long tradition, spanning over 50 years. Yet it is only thanks to the Museum’s involvement as the event’s custodian that it was possible to expand the number of participants. The pandemic time made us realise how important it is to connect people in shared activities and a sense of responsibility. We see each Osadzanie Chochoła as a separate project, one that is fully independent and adapted to current needs whilst remaining connected to the previous events and other activities organised by Rydlówka.
What can be adapted to the needs of other organisations or contexts is our experience and the methodology of organising the event.
Firstly, it is important to get to know a given community. In all probability many local communities have their small celebrations which can become an opportunity for shared activities. Different organisations, public, non-governmental, and private, can join these activities. Invite new social groups. Propose new forms of action, for example in the public space.
If a given community does not have such a celebration, there is no reason why it cannot be created. Osadzanie Chochoła is an invented celebration as well. The key to its success is that it reflects the local history and engages the local community to participate in the event’s organisation.
