The annual Dozynki, or Harvest Festival, at Holy Mother of Sorrows Polish National Catholic Church in Dupont will open with a traditional blessing of a wreath during a colorful ceremony, similar to the 2024 event.
Submitted Photo
Chairman Dave Petrosky took a break from cutting cabbage and onions Thursday afternoon to talk about the traditions of the 49th annual Dozynki, or Harvest Festival, that Holy Mother of Sorrows Polish National Catholic Church in Dupont will host on Sunday, Sept. 7.
“We peel and grind the potatoes and onions for the potato pancakes,” he said, noting how church volunteers take pride in cooking from scratch.
“We started making the pierogies in August,” he added.
As for the cabbage and onions he was preparing, they would go into haluski.
Kielbasi, pigs in the blanket, funnel cakes and red clam chowder also are on the menu, along with typical picnic foods.
“And they’re making a ton of pies,” church member Mary Jo Searfoss said.
If all this talk of food is making you feel hungry, rest assured there will be plenty at the Dozynki, which is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 7 on the parish grounds at 212 Wyoming Ave. in Dupont. But the festival isn’t only about food; it’s about tradition.
“It goes back to the Middle Ages” in Poland, Petrosky said. “At the end of the harvest the peasants would present the best crops to the lord of the manor, and it was his duty to throw them a party. Of course, we’re a democracy now. There are no lords of the manor.”
But the church volunteers will have a wreath, not a circular wreath but one with a conical shape, made primarily of wheat and decorated with seasonal vegetables and colorful ribbons. The Dozynki will begin with a blessing of the wreath, during a ceremony for which some of the younger parishioners typically wear ethnic costumes.
“There are people from our parish who have gone to Poland and bought outfits,” said Searfoss, who took an easier route to outfitting her 10-year-old granddaughter, accessorizing an American dress with a white apron and borrowed vest.
Nowadays kids wear those costumes for just a few minutes for the ceremony, Searfoss said, and then they change into play clothes. But years ago, they used to wear them for more of a performance.
“When I was a kid, they made us learn dances,” Petrosky said.
Live Polish music, children’s games and a basket raffle also will be part of the 49th annual Dozynki.
