The village of Łoniowa lies in Małopolska Province, Brzesko Country, 60 kilometres east of Cracow. Though small, this well-nigh one thousand-strong village boasts a picturesque, mountainous area and a number of cultural assets. It straddles the border of two geographic areas – the hilly Carpathian foreland and the flat Sandomierz Valley. The Dębno commune, within which lies Łoniowa, is an excellent recreation and leisure destination, which offers its visitors numerous tourist attractions and precious monuments, e.g. a 15th-century castle, a Gothic church of St Margaret and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Porąbka Uszewska. The area of the commune, which represents the ethnographic group of Eastern Krakowiaks, plays host to many cultural events, e.g. “Krakowiaczek” Festival of Children’s Folk Ensembles from the Cracow Region.
“Mali Łoniowiacy” ensemble, which is affiliated with the Dębno Culture Centre, was founded in 1993 as a children’s group alongside the “Łoniowiacy” adult group, which had been operating for more than 60 years. The rationale behind the establishment of the children’s group was to preserve the folk cultural heritage and to hand it down to the next generations, as the greatest treasure determining the strength and identity of the Małopolska countryside.
At the Festival the ensemble will present a programme entitled “Mary’s Knitting.” A group of little girls meet in a meadow under Mary’s birch tree to do some knitting. They tell riddles and sing. The girls are joined by festively-dressed boys, who are returning from the manor house. Joint singing begins, with Western Krakowiaks’ traditional dances, e.g. polkas, waltzes, cracoviennes and varsovienne.
Maria Dudek is the ensemble leader and instructor, and Tomasz Pabian is the band leader.
“Mali Łoniowiacy” ensemble, which is affiliated with the Dębno Culture Centre, was founded in 1993 as a children’s group alongside the “Łoniowiacy” adult group, which had been operating for more than 60 years. The rationale behind the establishment of the children’s group was to preserve the folk cultural heritage and to hand it down to the next generations, as the greatest treasure determining the strength and identity of the Małopolska countryside.
At the Festival the ensemble will present a programme entitled “Mary’s Knitting.” A group of little girls meet in a meadow under Mary’s birch tree to do some knitting. They tell riddles and sing. The girls are joined by festively-dressed boys, who are returning from the manor house. Joint singing begins, with Western Krakowiaks’ traditional dances, e.g. polkas, waltzes, cracoviennes and varsovienne.
Maria Dudek is the ensemble leader and instructor, and Tomasz Pabian is the band leader.