"Kaziuk" from Wilno in Poznań!

On March 2, 2025, the 32nd Casimir’s Day of Vilnius took place in Poznań – the most colorful fair event and a great celebration of Vilnius, which is also a farewell to the boring winter, i.e. an annual celebration in honor of St. Casimir the Prince, the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania.

Casimir’s Day is a four hundred year old indulgence fair in Vilnius, held on St. Casimir’s Day, March 4, and the one organized in Poznań is the largest in Poland.

The celebrations began at 10:00 with a solemn Holy Mass in the Poznań Parish Church, during which the Poznań Philharmonic Boys’ and Men’s Choir “Poznańskie Słowiki” performed under the baton of Maciej Wieloch. After the mass, at around 11:30, the Jagiellonian Procession set off from the Parish Church with the participation of St. Casimir and, on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the coronation, Bolesław the Brave. The procession, accompanied by the Swarzędz Flageolet Orchestra, walked through the streets of the city, presenting itself, among others, in the loggias of the City Hall in the Old Market Square, where participants could hear the Poznań and Vilnius bugle calls and see the famous Goats.

From the morning hours, the Kaziuk Fair was held in Freedom Square, where one could buy Vilnius specialties such as cepelinai, palms, Kaziuk hearts and folk handicrafts. It was here that the Folk Groups “Wielkopolanie” operating within the structures of the Provincial Public Library and the Cultural Animation Center in Poznań, as well as its Children’s Folk Group operating under the auspices of the Youth Culture Center No. 3 in Poznań, performed on stage.

This year’s program included dances and songs not only of native folklore, but also of the Lachy Sądeckie, Krakowiacy Wschodnie, Łowicz, Spisz, Cieszyn, Żywiec regions, as well as a polka performed by the Children’s Folk Group “Wielkopolanie”.

There was also a joint singing of patriotic and borderland songs under the baton of Stanisław Horbik – the musical director of the group.

The Casimir of Vilnius in Poznań is an event that has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of city celebrations since 1994, promoting the culture and traditions of the Vilnius region and integrating residents through joint celebration.

PK