The Festivalized Countryside in Poland: From Folk Fairs to Community Festyns

Official statistics report that almost ninety per cent of local governments in Poland currently organize various types of local festyn-an open-air celebratory event, usually including a fair, tastings, competitions, games, and other activities. Paradoxically, the gigantic popularity of this type of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFolklore (London) Vol. 133; no. 2; pp. 224 - 242
Main Author Kuligowski, Waldemar
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 03.04.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Community
Countryside
Culture
Entertainment
Festivals
Games
Local government
Phenomenology
Popularity
Statistics
Traditions
Poland
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Summary:Official statistics report that almost ninety per cent of local governments in Poland currently organize various types of local festyn-an open-air celebratory event, usually including a fair, tastings, competitions, games, and other activities. Paradoxically, the gigantic popularity of this type of event is accompanied by denigrating them and associating them with cheap outdoor entertainment; the term itself is used in everyday language to refer to banal and unsophisticated things. The main goal of this article is to answer the question of how medieval folk fairs became local community festyns. Based on original research and a special non-government report on the 'culture-forming role of local festyns' from 2017, this article presents festyns as a complex and important cultural phenomenon. They integrate local communities and are an important manifestation of their activities. Under the guise of carefree fun and entertainment, Polish local festyns celebrate serious values, such as community, identification, and continuity.
ISSN:0015-587X
1469-8315
DOI:10.1080/0015587X.2021.2019407