We would like to pay our respects to the Kaurna people - Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet. We acknowledge their ancestors and their sharing of their ancestral lands.

Could we please ask everyone to be upstanding for the Australian and Polish national anthems (...) Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, our visting artists and performers girls and boys. Traditionally Do¿ynki (or Harvest) is celebrated in September / Early October, and celebrations all over Poland take place to give thanks for the years fruits of the land.

This year, as a special event, we join the 11th Festival of Polish visual and performing arts - Polart Adelaide 2009 to showcase Polish Culture Traditions and to share our heritage with our Australian friends. To commence the opening ceremony hundreds of performers, in National costume, from ALL over Australia and New Zealand will now parade into Elder Park to begin the celebrations.

(Parade starts).Throughout history, Poland has been primarily an agricultural country. It is not surprising that many cultural traditions have been born from the yearly harvesting ritual. Customs and rituals connected with the harvest season are ancient, and actually date back to pagan times. During this era, the security of the people depended on the continuity of vegetation and the assurance of good and plentiful crops for the next season. After Poland formed a kingdom and accepted Christianity 1043 years ago many pagan rituals were altered to fit the Christian ways, thanking God for the bounties of the land and ensuring the fertility of the soil for future crops.

The symbol of the Do¿ynki Harvest Festival is a large wreath made of a number of grains, the ones considered most important to the harvesters, usually wheat and rye. The wreath is made in the shape of a domed crown and decorated with flowers, ribbons, hazelnuts, and fruit. This wreath was presented to the landlord or an elder of the community together with a freshly baked loaf of bread.

A harvest feast was prepared and everyone joined in the celebrations that sometimes lasted for days. Music, singing, and dancing accompanied the festivities, as everyone rejoiced that the work of the harvest was done and that the food and grains were now in storage for the long winter season ahead.

Do¿ynki is one of the many traditions which Poles have brought to South Australia. In 1986 Jurek Andrecki with a number of friends organised the first Do¿ynki Festival in Adelaide. The presentation of the wreath and bread is usually made to the Premier of South Australia and this year we are again delighted to have The Hon Mike Rann, Premier of South Australia, patron of the PolArt 2009 Festival, accepting the gifts of the harvest. We now ask the Premier to come forward to receive the symbolic gift of the harvest.

And now ladies and gentlemen, over 500 dancers from all over Australia and New Zealand will perform the Krakowiak – a famous Polish National dance, to a scale never before seen in Australia !!!

(Followed by speaches by the Hon. Mike Rann, Premier of South Australia and His Excellency Andrzej Jaroszynski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Australia.)

All organisations need a leader, someone to “drive the wagon” so to speak, Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Mr Andrew Munk, President of the Polart Adelaide 2009 organising committee. Mr Munk. will introduce Lilia, President of the Do¿ynki Inc. Organising committee. Thank you Andrzej and Lilia, and to your committee’s hard work in organising such a fabulous day !!

Ladies and Gentlemen, a festival like this could not be organised without the generous support of our many sponsors…… Local and State Government, businesses both Polish and Australian. To all our sponsors A BIG THANKYOU, in particular Our Major Sponsors, Multicultural SA, Tourism SA, Adelaide City Council, Stan Maka from Eastwood Insulation for the best pipe insulation in Australia, Stan Teresa and Daniella from StanDom Smallgoods Butchers, they have 2 food stalls here today with delicious Polish dishes to delight all tastes, if fact Stan has won the title of NATIONAL Sausage King 8 years in row !!!...Congratulations and well done Stan. Festival Hire who for many years have supported Do¿ynki, thank you Shane and Tracy. Henry and Ewa Kruszewski from Welland and Greenacres Optical and Dental for truly professional eye care…. “They’re worth a look”

Our Gold Sponsors, The Consulate of the Republic of Poland, Dariusz and Pauline Ross of Estate Wines from Lyndoch, Mr Ross in fact is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in South Australia. Asia Prokopowicz from Mama’s Pierogi who’s delicious Polish cuisine was enjoyed by all at yesterday’s official opening of Polart. And they have a stall here with every kind of pierogi and other goodies imaginable……CPS Credit Union who recently have helped the Polish credit union to migrate to CPS providing even more services…… Jan Mikucki of FMG engineering, civil engineering at it’s best…… Victor Dabrowski and Kristina Morell of Securitex Financial Services, Exclusive Polart Insurance brokers. …..Croydon Medical Centre, Villi’s a great south Australian success story, Adelaide’s own 1395 5AA.

Silver Sponsors, The federation of Polish Organisations in South Australia, Mr Vic Bogacz from Strzelecki Metals and ¦l±sko Krakowska Kompania Górnictwa Metali, Distinctive Funerals, Allan’s Music, Coast FM, who have been advertising our event for the last 2 weeks…

Bronze Sponsors – Port Adelaide and Enfield Council, Marysia Hock from Contal Travel, Live to Travel Dariusz Wilbik of West Lakes Chem Plus, Australian Airbags, Air diffusion and radio 5EBI EM.Ladies and Gentlemen please join us in thanking all our sponsors.

This concludes the official part of Do¿ynki, please enjoy the fabulous Polish music, dancing, food, beer, and souvenirs, while the first of our performing groups prepares to entertain you “Polish Style”. Followed by onstage entertainment ALL DAY with dances from many regions of Poland as small sample of the magnificent concerts which will be presented during the Polart 2009 festival. Also Special guest Artist Asia Lunaszewska will perform her popular songs for us all to enjoy a bit later.

Please remember that Pol-Art Festival will go on until 10th of January With fantastic Folkloric Conerts, Clasical Music Concerts, Aleksander Kudajczyk, virtuoso Polish pianist from Scotland to celebtate the Year of Chopin in 2010 the 200th anniversary of Choipin’s birth.Polish Theatre, literature, short film festival,art display and much more. For details please refer to our program brochures available at the Polart Souvenir stall. Thank you and have a great day.

"Na Do¿ynkach tañczy³y dzieci i m³odzie¿ z 11 zespo³ów z ca³ej Australii , ok 300 osób tanczy³o krakowiaka. To by³o cudo. A¿ ciarki przechodzi³y. Zespo³y nadchodzi³y ze wszystkich stron: ze sceny, z prawej strony, z lewej i od wody. Jeszcze takiego krakowiaka nie widzia³am"- wspomina Bogumi³a Filip.