In former days in the countries and in towns games were considered to make people indolent and make them waste their time. That is why adults didn't create any conditions for fun. Children often had to show great ingenuity to have a nice time. A yard, a pasture, a meadow were usually the places for games. So children spent a lot of time outdoors in the fresh air.

Team games prevailed. There were games in a circle, in a line, in rows and games with the division into groups or in pairs. Each game was accompanied by a song and a dance and first of all there was so-called m ę towanie i. e. counting out, drawing a person who has to do a certain task when it is his / her turn. Some group games were based on competition, the other - on the imitation of adult activities.

Boys games Boys often played at soldiers, musicians playing the musical instruments made by themselves and of sticks, bark ans stones. Their favourite game was riding a stick. Boys organised chasing, racing, they shot with bows and arrows made by themselves. Boys played football so-called zoska, they also played with bottle caps.

Riding a stick Stick Playing with bottle caps

Girls games Girls plaited garlands of flowers, toys of grass and straw, made beads of blueberries and seeds. Moreover, they eagerly imitated a house- they were mums and dads. If they were lucky a boy joined the game and he was a dad or a son.

Former prams for dolls Plaited toys

Favourite children games in Kujawy were: tag – the participants of the game were chasing each other blind man's buff („ciuciubabka”) - blindfolded participant was looking for the other and guessed the person he found; tag of war, games performed in a circle such as ''The fox is walking along the road'', '' Ring a ring o roses'', ''I've got an embroidered handkerchief'', '' I don't want to know you'', „ The old bear fast asleeps” or ''Maple ( jawor, jawor, jaworowi ludzie)''

Other popular games were also: counting out rhymes – e.g. „Entliczek, p ę tliczek, czerwony stoliczek. Na kogo wypadnie, na tego b ę c!” and gessing games – e.g. „Zgaduj, zgadula, w której r ę ce złota kula? Some of these games are perhaps a fragmentary form of ancient magical rituals connected with spring welcoming, brining rain about or chasing away evil spirits. Observed by children they could penetrate into children game repertoire and thus these games survived hundreds of years.

Blind man’s buff Game performed in pairs - '' I don't want to know you'' Game performed in a circle - ''I've got an embroidered handkerchief''

Polish folk dance coming from Kujawy Region and connected with the wedding rites of Kujawy.

Its name appeared for the first time in The folk names of this dance are 'sleeping' and 'lulling'. The oldest arrangements of Kujawiak come from about The arrangements of Henryk Wieniawski and Fryderyk Chopin are well-known. The music of this dance is lyrical and romantic. Some people say that the melody of Kujawiak reflects the landscape of Kujawy Region - wide and calm. It became popular all over Poland in a short period and was performed during folk celebrations, weddings and feasts.

This is a slow dance in the time signature of three quarters. Kujawiak is based on a walk in a quarter-note rhythm on slightly bended knees, with relaxed turns and gently swaying. The basic steps of Kujawiak are a balance step, a step-down, a step-up, a walking three-step ( i.e. three steps are performed in one time/bar). Figures of Kujawiak are called sleeping, lulling, so-called odsibka and four directions of the whirl. This dance consists of an introduction and three parts repeating two times. It often begins with the introduction performed on one note, based on a characteristic rhythm of this dance. The melody of Kujawiak is often based on a minor key, that's why it seems to be sad, but it is its characteristic feature. In Kujawiak there are graceful, springy, decisive and sometimes dynamic movements. This dance is always danced in a circle, in an arranged order.

Origin of the dance The prototype of the polonaise was a folk walking dance. First at the turn of 16 th and 17 th centuries the polonaise was danced by a lower class of society and was called hop. With the passing of time it was caught on with magnates. At the courts of Polish kings the polonaise was a part of the court ceremonial and the gentry took part in a parade in front of the monarch. At that time it was danced at the beginning of the ball, and currently it inaugurates some events in order to emphasize their solemn character, e.g. studniówka - a formal event held a hundred days before the school-leaving exams.

Name Depending on the region, the polonaise was called: Polish dance, walking, slow, round, old, old-fashioned, hop, goose’s, great. There is an opinion that the name polonaise appeared only in 1730s and it was translated into Polish from French polonaise.

Structure Typical rhythm of the polonaise The polonaise is a ceremonial dance where grace is accompanied by a swagger. Usually the polonaise is two- part music, its tempo is moderate rather slow. The characteristic feature of the polonaise is a repeated rhythmical pattern.

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