Wilno Ontario - Kashub Day in Canada - Kaszëbsczi Dzéń w Kanadze - 08.05.2016

Wilno
Day Festival in the small hamlet of Wilno where a couple of thousand people enjoyed food and music, dancing and drinking, and socializing with friends and relatives.The festival has become a homecoming of sorts for many people who make it a point to attend the celebrations, held the first Saturday in May, regardless of weather. This year, the weatherman provided a mixed bag with the celebrations starting off with 18C temperatures with sunny periods that changed to showers and a cool front moving in later in the day. But despite Mother Nature’s change of mood, it did not dampen the spirits of the celebrants nor did it keep them from turning out in large numbers. Among the highlights of the celebration is the crowning of the honourary Kashub, the crowning of the Royal Kashubian family, the unveiling of family stones in beautiful Heritage Park and music and dancing.“People actually stayed, despite the weather, because they want to celebrate their heritage,” remarked David Shulist (aka Johnny Kashub), one of the festival organizers. Mr. Shulist believes Canadians enjoy celebrating other cultures and this was evidenced Saturday by the large number of non-Kashubs who enjoyed the festivities. “We build bridges, not fences,” Mr. Shulist said. “And I think that is a big, big plus for us here.” He said this year’s celebrations were a bit special with 18 visitors attending from the Kashub homeland of Kaszebe. “They enjoyed themselves so much,” Mr. Shulist said. “They couldn’t believe how we end up celebrating our culture here which is connected to the homeland.”For all but one or two of the visitors it was their first visit to Wilno and they were amazed at what has been done here by the locals to preserve their heritage almost 150 years after the first families left Kaszebe.“They were absolutely in shock that they could sit down with someone that speaks the same language as they do,” Mr. Shulist said.honour, much like a Newfie (New foundlander) kisses a cod.Mr. Shulist introduced the 18 visitors who were dressed in traditional Kasubian regalia and as they stood before the crowd, Gienek Preczkowsczi, a member of the group told the Canadian Kashubs they were very proud of them for protecting the Kashubian tradition and language.Mr. Preczkowsczi introduced four young high school students from the visiting group and said they would like to begin a exchangewith students of Kashubian ancestry in the Wilno area who could teach each other their languages. He also extended an invitation to Canadian Kashubs to visit their homeland.