Thursday, September 19, 2024
Dożynki is a Slavic festival and the Polish word for Harvest Fest.
The celebration is rooted in history and culture and brings communities together to honor the earth’s bounty and collective labor.
Portage County’s Polish heritage was celebrated Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14-15, at the Dozynki Harvest Fest in downtown Stevens Point.
During the two-day event, people experienced food, dancing, music, art, history, and family-friendly activities such as creating a flower crown.
The Polish Heritage Awareness Society of Central Wisconsin hosts the Stevens Point Dozynki Harvest Festival.
In 1857, the first Polish settlers immigrated to Portage County. In 1870 the Stevens Point’s Farmers Market began when Polish farmers started to sell crops, animals, eggs and vegetables at what is now known as the Mathias Mitchell Public Square.
Dozynki Harvest Festival is held in the fall to signify the end of the farming season.
“My family is of Polish descent and we have lived our Polish heritage ever since I was born,” said Gayle Phillip, president of the Polish Heritage Awareness Society. “I started in a Polish choir in 1981 and from there my interest just got deeper. It’s just a great heritage with the dancing and eating.”
Phillip said that the costumes they wear are the Polish national dress from the Krakow religion.
“I’m a [am wearing] Krakow Bianca dress, but the majority of the people that settled here in Stevens Point are from the Kashui region and they would have a different dress,” Phillip said.
Phillip explained that every part of Poland had their own national cultural dress. Now, almost all of Poland uses the Cracovian costume as the national dress.
Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Moose Family Center was the 21st annual Dozynki Harvest Festival where there was Polish food, drinks, and music and the Dozynki Skyward Scholarships were presented to high school juniors and seniors.
For further information, check out Heritage Park. The Portage County Historical Society offers guided tours of the park and gives information about its history. The Polish Heritage Trail also offers a glimpse into Polish history.
