SilesianPositive energy

Karolina Gajek

Table of contents

1. Culture

2. Folk dance

3. National costumes

4. Dialect

5. Mining

CULTURE

Silesian culture is characterized by diversity, which result from the merging of different cultural traditions and new forms of expression presented by contemporary artists. Silesian voivodeship is a multicultural area, shaped by the influence of Polish, German, Czech and Jewish populations (history of the region and social processes which take place here are typical for the border regions). It is a region with a culturally diversed areas, and a strong sense of ethnic identity.

Cultural centers

Among the 18 institutions of art belonging to the self-management of Silesian Region are three theaters:

Dramatic - Theatre of Silesia in Katowice, Music - Entertainment Theatre in Chorzów, opera -

Silesian Opera in Bytom, where events are always premieres. There are also educational activities run in these institutions, inter alia including acting studies at

the Silesian Theatre, and the impresarios at the Entertainment Theatre in Chorzów, which allow viewers in our region to see the most interesting

theatrical plays from the whole Poland.

Theater in Katowice

Theater in Chorzów

Opera in Bytom

FOLK DANCE

Characteristic Silesian folk dance is Trojak (śl. Trojok), which is danced in groups of one man and two women per each group. The dance is divided into two parts: slow and fast.

NATIONAL COSTUMES

Women's dress - an essential element of women's clothing in Silesia is called "oplecek” with a skirt, and a corset sewn into the skirt. Other items of clothing such as apron, kabotek, hat and kerchief are worn also by similar groups in a similar manner. A simpler element of women clothing is "Jakl" - a loose jacket used to date.

Man’s dress - characteristic element of men’s dress is a coat with a cape. When Silesian people started growing their wealth "Gazda", or the host, started wearing a thin shirt, usually embroidered. There was also a change of shoes to Polish „zgrzyboki”.

Characteristic for Silesian clothing is ceremonial mining dress which is put on St.

Barbara’s feast, the patroness of miners.

DIALECT

Silesian dialect • ajmer – bucket • aszynbecher – ashtray• bajzel - mess• bajtel – child• bifej – sideboard• bryle – glasses• berać - relate• cornuch – dirty• ciepnoć - throw• faca - cheek• latoś – this year• dziołcha – girl• ołma – gradmother• ołpa – grandfather• pukel – hump• wadzić się - argue

MINING

The most popular profession for Silesians is mining, because there are many natural resources (inter alia

hard coal or copper) at Silesian area. That’s why there are so many coal mines. Unfortunetly, the profession of a miner is connected with the higher risk than the other jobs. This is due to the fact that there is a risk of methan explosion, ignition of pulverized coal or strong crumps.

Miners pray every time before going down for shift.