Jubilee year of „Kaziuk Wileński” in Poznań!

On March 5, as every year, the jubilee 30th „Kaziuk Wileński” took place at Freedom Square in Poznań. It is an equivalent of the fair, which has been held in Vilnius for over four hundred years. Celebrations in honor of St. Casimir the Prince, organized by the Society of Friends of Vilnius and the Vilnius region from Poznań. The event is well known to the inhabitants of Poznań, although it is a typically Lithuanian holiday. It is in Lithuania, where the name day of St. Casimir, a prince from the Jagiellonian dynasty, has been celebrated with a lavish fair since Pope Clement VII declared him a saint, i.e. over 400 years ago. The beginning of the fair itself, however, is associated with the solemn transfer of the saint’s relics to the Vilnius Cathedral in 1636. Since then, the anniversaries of the transfer of the relics have been celebrated every year.

Today, the festival is a three-day fair that takes place in various places in the city with artistic performances. Kaziuk is celebrated not only in Vilnius, but also in other cities in Lithuania, as well as, for example, in Grodno in Belarus. Currently, fairs are also organized in many Polish cities, e.g. in Poznań, Września, Szczecin or Białystok.

This year was unique, because the jubilee celebrations of Kaziuk Wileński began on March 4 at the “Zamek” Cultural Center, with the official opening of the exhibition titled “30 years of Kaziuk in Poznań”. During the event, the Polish Song and Dance Ensemble “Wilenka” from the Vilnius region performed at the gala concert. The next day, after the traditional Holy Mass. in the parish church and the anthem calls of Vilnius and Poznań, there was a presentation of the Jagiellonian dynasty as well as a retinue of poets of Polish Romanticism. Among the artists performing on the stage, the large audience gathered at the Freedom Square could see the Orchestra from Swarzędz, the Song and Dance Ensemble “Wilenka”, the Children’s Folk Group “Wielkopolanie”, and the Folk Group “Wielkopolanie”. Dancers and musicians of “Wielkopolanie” operating in the structures of the Provincial Public Library and the Center for Culture Animation in Poznań presented not only the folklore of their region, but also dances and songs from the vicinity of Spisz, Rzeszów, Cracovians from eastern and western lands and from the Łowicz region.

The Folk Group “Wielkopolanie” has been cooperating with the Society of Friends of Vilnius and Vilnius Land for many years, and the Fair itself has permanently entered the landscape of the city of Poznań and attracts crowds of residents and visitors every year. At the Kaziuki fair, you can buy Vilnius specialties such as zeppelins or Vilnius breads, beautiful palm trees, Kaziuki hearts, handicrafts and many others.

FL