SUBURBAN GAMES AND ENTERTAINMENT. LEISURE TIME, HOLIDAYS AND CEREMONIES IN THE COMMUNITY OF GOCLAW IN 1918-1939

• Authors: Wozniak A.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

Goclaw belongs to the district of Warsaw called Grochow, on the right side of the Vistula river. In the years 1918-1939 Grochow was a large and quickly developing district, whereas Goclaw was its least urbanized part, resembling the neighbouring villages more than the urban areas. The society inhabiting Goclaw was diversified in many respects: ethnic, religious, professional. Those who were better off had German ancestry, were Lutherans of the Augsburg Confession and lived mainly on farming. The Roman Catholic Poles owned very small farms. They were in different trades, did odd jobs. In the 1930s., due to economic crisis, great part of them were unemployed and suffered great poverty. Some were employed in public works or were on dole. For most families their own houses and small plots of land provided some kind of security in case of unemployment. People inhabiting the suburb of Goclaw in the years 1918-39 lived in a community resembling, to a considerable degree, a local community of the traditional type. They had preserved social ties characteristic for such kind of community - kinship and neighbourly ties which gave sense of security to individuals and families in case of crisis. That system of social bonds and sense of solidarity were supported and reinforced by common celebrating of rituals of annual cycle and life cycle as well as particular forms of entertainment. On the other hand it was the economic crisis of the 1930s and poverty that contributed to setting back the urbanization and development of the suburban district. Poverty made it difficult for the residents to enjoy all kinds of entertainment offered by the city life. The previous way of life of the suburban community got unsettled. Frequent contacts with neighbouring villages, culturally similar, confirmed and supported their value system.

Keywords

EN

HISTORY; SUBURBAN LIFE

Discipline

• ETHNOLOGY: ETHNOLOGY

• Publisher: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Etnografia Polska
• Year: 2004
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 221-252
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Wozniak A.

• A. Wozniak, Zaklad Etnologii, Instytut Archeologii i Etnologii PAN, al. Solidarnosci 105, 00-140 Warszawa, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

04PLAAAA0008219