On 4th December Miner’s Day Barbórka (St Barbara’s Day) celebrations take place in mining communities across Poland. Katowice’s Nikiszowiec is an unique mining district and one of the best places to appreciate Barbórka, where each year its celebration is an all-out community event.
Traditional Barbórka festivities in Nikiszowiec start early on the morning, when the residents of the district are awoken at 6:00 by mining marching band. The St Barbara’s awakening in Nikiszowiec has its roots at the beginning of the twentieth century. The first concert on December 4th took place in 1911. Since then, the miners’ brass band has been giving a concert every year on St. Barbara’s morning. The orchestra’s march and concert attract crowds of spectators.
It is also the first element of the Barbórka celebration in Nikiszowiec. At 09:30 a huge mass is held in St. Anne’s Church, followed by special concerts on the adjacent square. Festivities and performances continue sometimes throughout the afternoon.
Barbórka is on the Polish National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This list is one of the forms of protection of cultural heritage, which results from the 2003 UNESCO Convention of the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage signed by Poland.
