Polish culture festival in the Širvintos District Municipality

In order to cultivate traditions and habits, Poles from the Širvintos District Municipality organized the festive of the homeland folklore for the 11th time– Polish culture festival of the Širvintos District Municipality ‘Sing with us’.

On Saturday, despite sweltering heat, dozens of inhabitants came to the festive in Šiauliai, Širvintos District Municipality; they arrived from the Širvintos District Municipality, the Vilnius District and the capital. Everybody had a great time because the festive ‘Sing with us’, which is organized for 11 years by energetic Stefania Tomaszun, the leader of the Association of Poles in Lithuania from the Širvintos District, gained popularity and renown.

For many years, the festive of the polish folklore took place in the Jawniuny village, but this year it was organized for the first time in the nearby village Šiauliai (Jawniuny district). This year in spring, the community hall was opened; thus, owing to better conditions both for performers and spectators, organizers decided to relocate the event.

The event, where local bands and guests from neighboring regions performed, was traditionally led by Edyta Tamošiūnaitė. The band ‘Czerwone Maki’, performing on stage, celebrated 25 years of activity last year and was led by unwearied Stefania Tomaszun so as the band ‘Wesołe Babki’. Bands which also performed for the audience were the following: ‘Wiza’ from Pabradė led by Zbigniew Jedziński, folk band ‘Stare Troki’ managed by Lilia Kieras, the trio ‘Hanki’ under the leadership of Renata Joknienė, folk group from the Avižoniai led by Ramunė Savickienė and the band ‘Jutrzenka’ (Leonarda Klukowska); Teresa and  Ewa Szelepen sang as well.

The main point of the evening was the band ‘Lalki Corporation’ from Belarus which performed at the festive for the second time. Rita Tamašunienė, the starost of the parliament fraction AWPL also arrived to spend time with the fellow citizens from the Širvintos District, the MP Zbigniew Jedziński, Maria Pucz, who is the vice-mayor of the Trakai District Municipality, Rasa Tamošiūnienė and Vidmantas Mateika – councilors of the Širvintos District Municipality and Edward Trusewicz, the vice-president of ZPL . There was also the host – Vidmantas Grinis, who is the starost of the Jawniuny district.

Stefania Tomaszun, the organizer and instigator of the festive says that the event is organized so as to preserve and cultivate Polish character in the Širvintos District. In the region, where Lithuanians constitute the majority, the Jawniuny district is the only island of Polishness.