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The International Folklore Festival
"Bucovinean Encounters"

the international folklore festival „Bucovinean eNCOUNTERS"

       Under this name, the International Folklore Festival “Bucovinean Encounters” are ongoing since 1990, the annual festival’s manifestations. The idea has conquered two important personalities, one is the Slavonian philogenist professor at the Warsaw University in Poland, Chernivtsi descendent, Mr. Kazimierz Felesko and the ethnographer from the Pila’s Culture House in Poland, Mr. Zbigniew Kowalski.
       The beginnings of this festival have the origin in 1986, when in Jastrowie, a town situated not far away from Pila town in Poland, is setting up an amateurs folklore artistic group called “Jastrowiacy”, consist of polish emigrants in Bucovina.
       The festival organizers have distinctly after short time that the idea which make them to get start and follow in time was the conservation and propagation need to promote the Bucovina’s image as multinational region in which the different ethnics groups lived and live together in good understanding and without ethnical conflicts.
       The first festival edition took place at Jastrowie in Poland in 22-24 June 1990 under the generic “The Folklore Festival of the Polish Emigrants Bucovina’s descendents”. In this first edition have participate 9 artistic groups: 7 from Poland and two foreign groups, one polish group from Romania and the other Ukraine group from Chernivtsi.
       The second edition took place between March 30^th and June 2^nd in 1991. This second edition gathered 13 artistic groups. Besides the 7 Polish groups, was each 3 groups from Romania (one polish group and one Romanian group) and from Ukraine (one polish group and two Ukraine groups).
       After the first two editions have consumed, in the “Bucovinean Encounters” atmosphere, the festival support not only in Poland but in the other countries, first of all in Bucovina (Romania and Ukraine) have demonstration that in spite off passing time and all the changes that took place in the last 10 years in Eastern Europe, the bucovinean tradition with tolerance and good understanding is continuing to find the sustainers.
       So, the organizers concluded that the festival must acquire a new character.
       The Polish bucovinean’s passion for the Ukraine, Romanian and other Polish spread all over the world, conducted at some necessary changes in the festival’s program which means a new and international festival organizing. To avoid the evidence and the presence of the exactly folklore polish groups, the organizers decided to enlarge the festival participation by inviting some other ethnic belonging to other bucovinean ethnic groups. Since 1992 the organizers choose the option that the festival should named The International Folklore Festival “ Bucovinean Encounters”. The festival name changing created the possibility to reload and to present by folklore, the main treasure of Bucovina: the good neighborhood relationships, always based on the man and not on the political systems, the esteem, the understanding and mutual respect between the ethnic, cultural and religion differences.
       As the result, the “Bucovinean Encounters” have transformed into one international festival and Jastrowie and Pila towns from Poland become the main presentation centers of the creations and bucovinean folklore traditions, entering in that way in the Bucovina’s history and the bucovineans spread all over the world, like an annual celebration of the folklore culture of the region. The “ Bucovinean Encounters” main idea is the persuasion that meanwhile “the generally sustaining and it’s entireness presentation of the bucovinean values, in generally, same as the suitable cultural identity, are so necessary to the all bucovineans which are living across the Prut and Siret rivers, same as for the emigrants bucovineans” – as Mr. Zbigniew Kowalski said, the organizers will keep the actual festival structure organizing.
       The International Folklore Festival “Bucovinean Encounter” main purpose establish by the organizers, consist of:
       a. the bucovinean cultural-folklore treasure presentation in her multiethnic manifestation by bringing on the stage some complex and vary traditional and artistic manifestations: vocals, dances, musicals and bucovinean costumes and customs;
       b. partiality of mutual knowledge between the bucovinean artistic groups members by directly participation to the festival;
       c. the Bucovina ’s values presentation which demonstrate the good understanding between humans and in mutual respect, in inter ethnic tolerance and good livelihood;
       d. the Bucovina ’s image conduction as an understanding, harmony and collaboration example, by mutual respect between ethnic groups and originally preservation of cultural identity for each ethnic community;
       e. the approach and mutual knowledge of the European peoples by their representative groups;
       f. the folklore preservation of the bucovinean emigrants in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Germany which for the “ Bucovinean Encounters” gives many contact possibilities in one organized way with Bucovina and her actual inhabitants.
       All the festival’s editions, since 1^st to the 9^th took place annually in Jastrowie and other localities only in Poland.
       The festival achieve, from the beginning in Poland, the organizers and bucovinean ensembles travels from Poland to Bucovina, show that the fully presentation of the region’s social and cultural phenomenon can’t exists without the “ Bucovinean Encounters” organized right from its root and if’s possible in the other bucovinean refugees communities. That’s the way of the grown idea and all the efforts looking expansion and organizing this festival in Bucovina.
       The favorable conditions arise in 1999 and coincided with the 10^th festival’s celebration. After one first polish part, traditional organized in Jastrowie and Pila (Poland), the festival arrived on Prut and Siret rivers and it’s manifestations took place, first of all in Romania at Campulung Moldovenesc, Suceava county and then in Ukraine at Chernivtsi. In the 2000, the festival co-organizer became the bucovinean Hungarians and the Bonyhad town is since then the 4^th arena of the International Folklore Festival “Bucovinean Encounters”.
       The participants desire confirmation to continuing the festival as a multi-national bucovinean manifestation have made since then, by annual conclusion of the collaboration protocol between the organizers parts. In January the 15^th 2000, at Chernivtsi – Ukraine, it was signed the Ukrainean – Polish –Romanian - Hungarian protocol. Thereby, the “Bucovinean Encounters” occupy now an exceptional place between the international folklore festivals in Europe, getting meanwhile the biggest European kind manifestation, whereupon are shown the folklore and Bucovina’s traditions by organized participations of these for countries in which are living ex inhabitants of Bucovina and their descendents.
       This festival constitute an important factor by positive influence of the connections not only between peoples or ethnic groups but and from central and eastern European countries. This festival organized in these four countries: Poland, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine, since May to October annual, is motivating the bucovinean young generation to enthusiastic assume and continuing the festival tradition.