Passionpiece
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About the blog
  • Contact
  • English (US)
  • Polish (PL)
February 6, 2018  |  By Natalia In Blog, Inspirations, People with passion

Babski Comber, a meeting of women with personalities!

Passion Piece Babski Comber Cover

Since all good things come to an end, this year’s carnival is also slowly coming to its end. On this occasion, people organize various parties, one of such carnival celebrations is Babski Comber. What are the origins of this gathering? How does it look like? In the following account, I’m going to present a short historical outline of this annual event, I’m also going to share my own experiences related to the party in which I had a chance to participate this year.

According to some historical data, Comber was a medieval Shrovetide folk celebration, organized in various regions of Poland, most often on Fat Thursday. Most possibly this custom had its origins in Germany, and was brought to Poland for the first time in the Middle Ages by some German settlers. A number of historians mention similar customs preserved by peasant women in the regions of Poznań and Łużyce. The most accurate accounts of Babski Comber are related to celebrations organized by fishwives at the main square of Kraków. In the Silesia region, Babski Comber was also popular in the Middle Ages. Primarily, it used to be a party intended only for married women, who gathered together in a certain place and at a certain time. They were dressed up in fancy costumes, they also had bright and colourful make-ups. They created processions under the guidance of Marshal or Chairwoman, who carried an effigy which symbolized a man. While going through the city loud and singing women tried to hunt for men, especially for bachelors. Single men were tied to logs and humiliated until they bought themselves up with vodka, coins or kisses. Singing and dancing weren’t the highlights of this celebration. The most important moment of this women’s gathering was tearing the effigy of Comber. They took out pieces of straw out of a destroyed effigy, since they believed that they guaranteed them success in love in the current year.

This custom has survived until this day, however it has been slightly modified. Women still gather in their own circles in restaurants, cafes or their own houses. They still wear fancy costumes, masks, as well as bright and colourful make-ups. They have fun to the rhythm of the music, dance, sing and take part in various contests. However, the man stopped being a visible object of fun. The most important is simply having a good time and getting all together.

This year, I have had a chance to participate in Babski Comber for the first time in my life. The event was organized in Centralna Restaurant in Mysłowice. The ball room was divided into two parts. In the first one there were elegant tables at which we could eat delicious meals and have small talks with friends. I must say that the food was truly awesome and should really be recommended to everyone. In the second part of the ball room, there was a dance floor on which women of all ages had lots of fun. We were all dressed up in fancy costumes which added some relaxed and humorous atmosphere to this event. I’m definitely not a party animal and I’d treat the dance floor with garlic and holy water if only I could … however, it was really nice to look at my friends moving cheerfully to the rhythm of the music. Dances were interrupted from time to time by contests and a short recital given by DJ, who specially for us played a few songs using his electric violin. Another interesting entertainment was a photo booth, which enjoyed lots of popularity and was eagerly besieged by all the women. It was certainly a good idea for this kind of event, because it was not only a source of great amusement, but also a source of wonderful memories, which are worth being kept in photo albums. The party lasted until early morning hours, the participants weren’t very eager to leave the dance floor and insisted on encore to prolong thier fun for a little while.

Taking part in Babski Comber was certainly an interesting experience, even for a person like me, who is totally not a type of a party animal. I’d truly recommend this kind of events to all the ladies who want to have a nice time in a circle of wonderful women, and who want to dance to the rhythm of the greatest hits. And you? Which carnival party are you going to attend?

 

See you around!

Yours,

Passion Piece

Podoba Ci się? Udostępnij!
Previous StoryWhy do we not follow our dreams?
Next StoryFat Thursday – to eat a donut, or not to eat? That is a question!

Comments: 10 replies added

  1. Karla February 18, 2018 Reply

    Babski Comber looks like a great event! I'm glad you met a lot of interesting people. I don't have any plans of attending any festivals yet but I recently joined a group of girls who meet every month for some sharing of thoughts.

    • Natalia February 18, 2018 Reply

      I think that every country has some nice festivals which can be attended not only by girls. It's great to hear you joined such a group, it's a good occasion to meet new people and to learn new things. :)

  2. Sharee February 18, 2018 Reply

    First, your head is life, I love it, your post is on point and has just awesome writing feel, I love this

    • Natalia February 18, 2018 Reply

      Thank you very much! It's a great feeling to read such comments! :)

  3. Dee Jackson February 18, 2018 Reply

    Babski comber looks really interesting. I never heard of it before but am glad I was able to read this

    • Natalia February 18, 2018 Reply

      This festival is not present in many countries. I'm glad you could learn something new from reading my post! Cheers! :)

  4. Holly Lasha February 19, 2018 Reply

    Neat...This looks interesting.

    • Natalia February 19, 2018 Reply

      It was an interesting event, it's good to take part in something like that from time to time! :)

  5. Kanishka Acharya February 19, 2018 Reply

    I love to dance and this event sounds like so much fun! Im glad you had a such a great time. There so many traditional events that still are carried on and it's so wonderful you got to participate in it. Your post makes me want to look into events that will be happening in my city hehe!

    • Natalia February 19, 2018 Reply

      I got to know about the origins of this event while writing this post. It's great to get to know something new about traditions in one's own country. :)

Join in: leave your comment Cancel Reply

(will not be shared)

Search

Menu

  • Blog
  • Books
  • Chasing dreams
  • Cooking
  • Inspirations
  • People with passion
  • Travels
  • Uncategorized

Najnowsze

  • The weekly interview: Jessica Marchant
  • The weekly interview: Michelle Moyer
  • The weekly interview: Rachael Bouley-Djorgonoski
  • The weekly interview: Natasha Lévai
  • The weekly interview: Johnny Ray

Tags

#bestage #books #celebrities #christmasiscoming #christmasmarkets #dreams #fashion #fight #food #goodtimes #greece #happiness #inhibitions #lifestyle #LO3 #love #magicofchristmas #memories #modernsociety #mylittleparadise #newstart #newyearseve #opportunities #overcomingtheodds #passion #passionpieceblog #reachinggoals #reachingyourgoals #resolutions #reunion #schoolmates #sea #societyproblems #success #summer #travels #vienna #youth Akureyri hostels Iceland interview passionatepeople

Archives

  • March 2023 (2)
  • January 2023 (1)
  • December 2022 (1)
  • November 2022 (2)
  • October 2022 (1)
  • September 2022 (1)
  • August 2022 (2)
  • July 2022 (3)
  • June 2022 (1)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (2)
  • March 2022 (2)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (4)
  • December 2021 (1)
  • November 2021 (3)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (2)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • April 2021 (4)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (5)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • August 2020 (4)
  • July 2020 (6)
  • June 2020 (4)
  • May 2020 (4)
  • April 2020 (5)
  • March 2020 (4)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • January 2020 (4)
  • December 2019 (5)
  • November 2019 (4)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (4)
  • July 2019 (5)
  • June 2019 (4)
  • May 2019 (4)
  • April 2019 (5)
  • March 2019 (4)
  • February 2019 (4)
  • January 2019 (5)
  • December 2018 (4)
  • November 2018 (4)
  • October 2018 (4)
  • September 2018 (4)
  • August 2018 (5)
  • July 2018 (4)
  • June 2018 (4)
  • May 2018 (5)
  • April 2018 (3)
  • March 2018 (4)
  • February 2018 (6)
  • January 2018 (6)
  • December 2017 (5)

Pageviews

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About the blog
  • Privacy policy
  • Contact

About the blog

This blog has been created with the readers in mind, the ones whose passions help them pursuing their success and self-realization … but not only! I’ll also write for those of you who feel that there is a raw potential hidden somewhere inside your true self! I keep learning new things about myself everyday and I try to find new passions which allow me not to get crazy and get away from it all once in a while!

Recent Posts

  • The weekly interview: Jessica Marchant March 27, 2023
  • The weekly interview: Michelle Moyer March 8, 2023
  • The weekly interview: Rachael Bouley-Djorgonoski January 20, 2023
  • The weekly interview: Natasha Lévai December 14, 2022
  • The weekly interview: Johnny Ray November 16, 2022

Archives

  • March 2023 (2)
  • January 2023 (1)
  • December 2022 (1)
  • November 2022 (2)
  • October 2022 (1)
  • September 2022 (1)
  • August 2022 (2)
  • July 2022 (3)
  • June 2022 (1)
  • May 2022 (1)
  • April 2022 (2)
  • March 2022 (2)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (4)
  • December 2021 (1)
  • November 2021 (3)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (2)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • April 2021 (4)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (5)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • August 2020 (4)
  • July 2020 (6)
  • June 2020 (4)
  • May 2020 (4)
  • April 2020 (5)
  • March 2020 (4)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • January 2020 (4)
  • December 2019 (5)
  • November 2019 (4)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (4)
  • July 2019 (5)
  • June 2019 (4)
  • May 2019 (4)
  • April 2019 (5)
  • March 2019 (4)
  • February 2019 (4)
  • January 2019 (5)
  • December 2018 (4)
  • November 2018 (4)
  • October 2018 (4)
  • September 2018 (4)
  • August 2018 (5)
  • July 2018 (4)
  • June 2018 (4)
  • May 2018 (5)
  • April 2018 (3)
  • March 2018 (4)
  • February 2018 (6)
  • January 2018 (6)
  • December 2017 (5)
Copyrights © 2018 Passionpiece | Wdrożenie strony 13design