About Dozynki
The word ‘Dozynki’ means ‘a celebration of harvest’, and is celebrated in Poland, the USA and here in South Australia.
The symbol of Dozynki is the ‘wieniec’, (harvest wreath) which was traditionally presented to the landowner. This large wreath was made of a mixture of wheat and rye, as these grains were considered the most important. Crafted from the most beautiful ears of grain, the Dożynki wreath would be fashioned into a dome-shaped crown. It was decorated with flowers, ribbons, hazelnuts, and the fruit of the mountain ash tree.
The first Dozynki festivals in Adelaide were called ‘Polish Day’ and were held for several years at Parks Community Centre, before transferring to Regency College and later to Rymill Park. In 2009, as part of the tri-annual Australian PolArt festival, Adelaide was proud to host artists from around Australia and New Zealand and Dozynki was held in Elder Park.
