By Ron Kuzlik
STAMFORD—Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Stamford celebrated its annual Dożynki, or Polish Harvest Festival, the weekend of August 17 and 18.
According to Parish Council Member and Trustee Boga Davidson, the Festival is “two days of fun and entertainment including traditional folk dancing performances, live music, dancing, delicious traditional Polish cuisine, a 50/50 raffle and other attractions for all age groups, including a Kid Zone with waterslide, bounce house and various games.
“Holy Name has been celebrating Dożynki for the past 47 years,” she added.
It all started under the guidance and tutelage of the Lay Board and then-pastor Monsignor Alphonse J.V. Fiedorczyk, and has continued without interruption except in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bernadette Jachimczyk was one of the original board members during the early days of the Dożynki Festival. She also was chair of the raffle committee.
“The festival always began with a Mass of Thanksgiving. People would come together for the food and the socialization,” she said.
Since that time, the festival has grown and expanded from a one-day event to two days in length with many additional features and activities.
Davidson has been on the Dożynki committee for the past 12 years.
“There are so many people that are responsible for the planning, preparation and execution of the festival working with the members of the Parish Council and our clergy, Fathers Pawel Hrebenko and Jakub Rachwalski,” she said. “The organizing committee has done everything in its power to deliver an event which will be remembered for a long time to come.”
Jadwiga Rakowski has been a part of the kitchen staff for as long as she can remember.
“I give these people a lot of credit. It’s a lot of hard work to keep the food fresh and good tasting, that is what is most important,” she said. “We made about 2,000 pierogi, 600 pyzy, which are meat and potato filled dumplings, 800 stuffed cabbage and so many other things.”
Dożynki festivals originated in Poland as early as the 16th century. At the end of the growing season, usually in August or September, farmers would celebrate the harvest with a holiday and landowners would organize celebrations to reward the laborers and give thanks for bountiful crops.
Derek Rutkowski of Ridgefield came with his wife Monica and son Daniel.
“The festival is always a lot of fun. Plus the food and beer is always great. We’ve been coming for about 15 years now,” Rutowski said.
When asked, Olivia, 6, said the food was the best part of the festival.
“The waffles and the Polish sausage are my favorite,” she said.
Helena, 11, said, “I came here because I wanted to have fun. The waterslide is definitely my favorite. I’ve been on it at least 50 times!”
Meanwhile, John, 10, said, “I’m having so much fun. The waterslide and the dancing is totally fun.”
In spite of heavy rains on Sunday morning, festival organizers reported that over twelve hundred people attended this year’s Dożynki Festival including record crowds on Saturday evening.
There are various sponsors that help to offset the costs of the festival and help raise money including banks, car dealers, wholesalers, and owners of small and large businesses alike.
Proceeds from the festival go toward the remodeling fund for Holy Name.
“Our beautiful but old church building requires our attention and is in need of many expensive repairs and renovations,” Davidson said.
For more information, visit www.holynamestamford.org
