The final concert

“His buffalo horn, long, mottled, winding...” - one of the most important works of Polish literature made the horn the protagonist of a forest concert. And an even more important work states the following pitifully: “You oaf! You had the Golden Horn.” The horn called, the horn summoned, the horn warned...

The deep sound of the two horns from the Basque Country is calling... whom? A boy, alone, from Tanzania. He responds to the horns; he responds to the echoes, like solitary shepherds in the mountain pastures hoping that someone will answer them, if only with a few sounds offering reassurance: “You are not alone!”

And that’s what happens. Encouragement flows to the solitary child from all the parts of the hall. They call each other in. They convene. They dance together. They are united by a circle, like a circle around a bonfire that has been singing a song of brotherhood with the crackling of burning branches for centuries.
 

At the other end, a wreath from Serbia, like a portal. Perhaps it is easier to say something through such a portal, if only by gesture. Just as it has always been easier to kiss under the mistletoe. And indeed, the heart - the symbol of love - is passed from hand to hand. And like under the mistletoe - it is easier to kiss through the wreath.

The girls form a circle. A closed area, but also an area of togetherness, of unity, which is always ready to extend to other hearts.

And as before the sound from mountain pasture to mountain pasture passed from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart, so now between the communities of boys and girls, the wish-fulfilling words flash like stars: GOOD, FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, RESPECT, PEACE... The five words that encapsulate the educational programme of this year’s FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS. And once they’ve exchanged the words-values, now it’s time for the hearts to change owners.

And since “repetitio est mater studiorum,” may these values enshrined in the concepts be perpetuated with the words of a song:
Good brings friendship,
Friendship brings love,
Love brings respect,
We are building peace
For the whole world.

The dancing weaver weaves the threads that bind in friendship, love and peace. Dancing brings everyone off the stage. They are united by huge hearts.

And the Lach musical band invites Uncle Patryk and Aunt Hanka onto the stage. And of course the parade. They go one by one according to the Festival order, just like day after day they revealed to us the treasures of their cultures. A week ago, in the Stara Sandecja Common, it was just a little glimpse, but now we know them... a bit more.


If the guests invited and the hosts welcoming them could be the measure of an event, then there is probably no more important cultural event taking place in Poland, or even anywhere in the world, today.

On that Saturday evening, among the audience were: Andrzej Zarych, the director general of the SOKÓŁ Małopolska Cultural Centre, and the director of the FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS; his deputies: Piotr Gąsienica, the organising director of the FESTIVAL; and Liliana Olech.  Stanisław Kowalik, the chaplain of the Festival; Andrzej Fąfara, the Consul of the Republic of Poland in Houston, who in a few minutes will receive the award of the Silver Cross of Małopolska from the hands of Dariusz Gawęda, the first deputy director of the Department of Culture and National Heritage at the Małopolska Governor’s Office; Dariusz Gawęda is attending with his wife; Franciszek Kantor, a member of the Management Board of the Nowy Sącz County; Jan Łosakiewicz, the president of the Polish Section of CIOFF; Elżbieta Osińska-Kassa, the director of the National Institute of Rural Culture and Heritage, who will in a moment ensure that the Institute supports and will continue to support our Festival; Bartłomiej Koszarek, the director of the “Folk House” Bukowina Cultural Centre; Agnieszka Karpińska and Małgorzata Gryglicka-Szczepaniak from the Meeting of Cultures Centre in Lublin, the organisers of the All-Poland Festival of Folk Musical Bands and Singers, who in a few moments will present directors Andrzej Zarych and Piotr Gąsienica with a congratulatory note; Monika Kurzeja, the head of the FESTIVAL organising office; Marta Mordarska, the director of the Cultural Centre in Krynica; Łukasz Przybyłowicz, the director of the 2nd Branch of the KARPATIA Mountain Land Cooperative Bank; and Mirosław Turek, the person in charge of the SOKÓŁ MCC finances. Also, we must not forget about the Artistic Committee, comprising: Dr Dorota Majerczyk from Poland, an ethnologist and the chairwoman of the Artistic Committee of the 32nd FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS; Dr hab. Tomasz Nowak, Prof. UW from Poland, an ethnomusicologist and ethnochoreologist; Dr Evgeniya Grancharova from Bulgaria, a choreographer; Benedykt Kafel from Nowy Sącz, Poland, an ethnographer; Bariş Kop from Turkey, a choreographer; and Laura Viviana López Cristancho, a cultural animator from Colombia.

The whole amphitheatre broke into thunderous applause at the announcement of Antoni Malczak, a long-standing director of SOKÓŁ MCC, but above all the originator of the FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS, although he needed no formal introduction here.

Each ensemble receives from the hands of the distinguished personages: a traditional fluffy lamb, a traditional photo with a traditional heart, and a no less traditional basket of sweets.

And on that evening, “a moment of great peculiarity,” as master Stanisław Wyspianski wrote, a moment worthy of the master Stanisław’s words: Antoni Malczak receives the ARTIS MERITORIA decoration from Jan Łosakiewicz and prof. Tomasz Nowak, the chairman of the chapter.

Now the time to sing name-day wishes to Hanka Rybka, the Festival Auntie Hania.

And another symbol of the Festival:

Handing over of the shepherd’s staff. MYSTKOWIANIE hand over the staff to PIĄTKOWIOKI. “We are handing over this staff to you, our Lach brothers. Be the hosts!” Three strikes of the staff against the stage floor. “We, PIĄTKOWIOKI, God permitting, will be marvellous hosts.” The staff is marked with a special ring by Kamil Wiatr of Mystków.

On behalf of the Artistic Committee, Dorota Majerczyk thanks everyone for the whole week and reads the Committee’s minutes.

Festival director Andrzej Zarych points out that there would be no Festival if it were not for the people most involved in its preparation, namely the office staff headed by Monika Kurzeja. A snaking line of the Festival guides and interpreters flits dancing across the stage.
 

MALI MYSTKOWIANIE sing that they are not afraid of anyone. Well, it’s hardly surprising when you see them standing in such a tightly packed group... The three Monday ensembles dance to the rhythm of the Maasai instruments, seamlessly transitioning into Podhale krzesany dances, and then leaving the stage on a Lach note. And that is impressive. Perhaps the thing is that the longer you wait for something the more you delight in it, and that is why you find those comrade dances so beautiful. A short performance by the Tanzanian children, where the girl who attracts particular attention is gyrating... well, not a hula-hoop, but beads, and not around her hips, but around her neck. Still, the powers of endurance she shows in that act are impressive. The next ones are the highlanders from Chicago, who perform in their own peculiar way, with a stamp, concluding with a song about the wind that blows mightily. And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day.

Tuesday brings MAŁOLIPNICANIE from Orawa first, in a circle, in two circles and in pairs, though still in a circle. Calmly, singing, and then faster, with a change of partner. A joint Serbian dance, a joint Orawa dance - a symbol of comradeship, behind which lies its true meaning: friendship. And now the Serbs themselves remain, with a little, horned master of wedding ceremonies in the leading role. A fast dance, in two rows. And there was evening, and there was morning - the second day.

On Wednesday, MALI JURKOWIANIE presented themselves to us first, so they are starting this ensemble duo now too. Circles, singing... And the Basques join in this singing and in these circles, whirling to a Zagórze tune with their comrades, their friends, their brothers. Comradeship works both ways, and so now everyone is performing to a completely different rhythm set by the Basque musical band, at a more marching pace, and more in pairs. The Jurków comrades disappear from the stage. The Basques bid farewell to Nowy Sącz with their own dance, under their own flag. And there was evening, there was morning - the third day.

And Thursday? To see the children from Moldova dancing a krakowiak with MALI SIEDLECANIE? Even to a phoney Krakowiak - priceless! It’s something I won’t unsee. Of course, that is preceded by the performance just by the Polish children from Siedlec - the one in the Bochnia county. Then a joint dance to a Moldovan tune. Everyone runs off the stage, because the little Moldovans snake their way onto it to take over the space for a few minutes with a fast, dynamic circle dance, shouts, music... And there was evening, and there was morning - the fourth day.

The remembrance of the last national day begins with the children of the ZAWATERNIK ensemble. After the highlanders’ fashion, in the Podhale style. But there is no zbójnicki dance... Because zbójnicki will be danced with the Greek comrades... And so smoothly, to the sounds of the lyre and laouto they proceed into the comrade Cretan dance. Then the Greeks themselves. Now all together. The girls. The boys... And there was evening, there was morning - the fifth day.

Saturday. A violinist from Moldova begins. The strings of the Lach band from Mystków join in, and then the clarinet and the trumpet. A Podhale boy sings that he will be like daddy, the girl - like mummy. They hug their parents. And they all enter the stage, to the rhythm of the Basque band. And when I say “all,” I mean all the participants in the 32nd FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS. And the rhythm invites you to jump, to clap, to rejoice. And all the bands are playing. It's time to take all the memories home... Two priests present at this year’s Festival enter the stage: Stanisław Kowalik and Kazimierz Króżel.

“Dear God, dear God
Do not forsake us.
Because otherwise
we will be lost beyond redemption.”

Two blessings: in Polish and in Swahili.
“Go to sleep, go to sleep,” sings a girl, so I guess it's already time.

And there was evening, there was morning - the sixth day.

Time to rest.
Nah, just kidding! It's time to run into the audience with a Basque step.
See you next year.