Neighborly help - entertainment

            Life in the former village required the help of a neighbor with harder work. This, in turn, shaped neighborly ties and moral norms. There was always greet and conversation during the meeting. The person entering the house greeted all the household with the words: "Praised be Jesus Christ", to which they replied: "For ever and ever. Amen". Those working in the field were always greeted: "God bless", to which they replied: "Give me God." Social ties were formed especially during neighborly help. There were many jobs that the neighbors did together, such as harvesting, digging potatoes, tearing feathers or pickling cabbage. These works were performed one by one at the appointed persons. Community was important.

1. Pickling of cabbage

            Usually, from October to Advent, cabbage was pickled. There were many customs and superstitions associated with it. The cabbage barrels were oak and had to be thoroughly washed with salt water and scalded. These preparations were most often made by men helping each other in the neighborhood. The women, on the other hand, peeled the cabbage from the top leaves, which they put aside for the cattle. In the past, before shredders appeared, cabbage was chopped with a knife or a special chopper. Neighbors also came to help. Chopped cabbage was placed in a barrel in layers, sprinkled with rock salt and caraway seeds, and sometimes hard apples and smaller heads of cabbage were given whole, which were then used for cabbage rolls. Each layer had to be tamped down hard. If the sauerkraut was pickled in a small barrel, it was beaten with a special pestle. However, in large barrels, the cabbage was usually whipped by men - the so-called "ubijoce", "gniotoce". However, before they started to knead it, they had to wash their legs thoroughly and wipe them thoroughly with a clean towel "in front of witnesses". It happened that the "kneader" danced in the barrel while singing. In addition to work, pickling cabbage was also an opportunity for neighborhood meetings. Women made their autumn evenings more pleasant by singing, telling gossip, anecdotes, proverbs, stories about the past. After finishing work, there was usually a snack, and sometimes even dancing.

1. Laundry

            Laundry was usually done once a week. The laundry was first soaked overnight in large tubs. In order to thoroughly remove stains and whiten the laundry, the layers of fabrics were sprinkled with ash and poured with lye made of brewed ash. The next day, the women went to the river to wash. In special places - the so-called benches were washed with tadpoles and rinsed. However, it was a very tedious job. Then the graters appeared and washing was easier. They also began washing in larger tubs, using warm water. And they no longer went to the river. However, such laundry meetings were also a kind of social gathering. The women could meet and talk while working. They spent time together.

1. Tearing the feathers.

            In the past, in the countryside, autumn and winter evenings were marked by feather tearing. As many as a dozen women and girls gathered, and in the following evenings they tore the feathers, one by one, in most of the houses. It was a tedious job, requiring a lot of time and patience, so it was done in the evenings. The feathers were usually stored in cloth bags. They were taken to a table that was placed in the middle of the room so that as many women as possible could sit around. Each had a bowl on its lap into which she tossed the torn pieces of feathers. Unnecessary parts of the feathers were thrown on the floor. Bigger feathers were put in the fingers, peeled them, and this is how down was formed, which was put away separately, and then stuffed with pillows and duvets. As a result, the stiff feathers do not stick out from under the pillow. The men were allowed to stay at home while nibbling, but they did not help the women. Most often at that time they did something else, e.g. mending a horse's harness or weaving wicker baskets. Tearing the feathers was also connected with fun. The women made their time with singing and jokes. After a few hours of work, the hostess gave a snack. It was usually yeast dough, bread with milk, herbal tea, and sometimes some spirit. It happened that after work was finished, men would come and the music lasted until late with the music. The plucking of feathers ended with the so-called „ wyskubek”- a game where the housewives baked yeast cakes, cakes, served, for example, wine, and sometimes invited musicians. The hostess, who did not make „wyskubek”, could not count on the help of the neighbor in tearing the feathers next year.

1. Trysts

            They often visited each other on the so-called trysts. In winter, people would meet at home, and in summer, they would sit outside. Usually they met on Sundays and holidays. The olders told all sorts of tales: about serfdom, wars, plagues, spells and fears. The inn was also a frequent place for such meetings. The hosts visited them rather rarely, but the young people visited them often.

SOURCE:

„Źródła kultury ludowej Puszczy Sandomierskiej” edited by Krzysztof Ruszel, Kolbuszowa 2014.

Franciszek Kotula, „Z Sandomierskiej Puszczy”, Kraków 1962.

Ruszel K., Leksykon kultury ludowej w Rzeszowskiem, Rzeszów 2004