Touching the Icon

An ethnographer from Kashubia returns to her haunt to observe that region’s folk religiosity, with which she’s very familiar since childhood, but from which she distances herself in her adulthood. She meets young Kashubians facing the challenge of saving the centuries-old tradition of ritualized bowing to and dancing with holy icons. The young people are getting ready for a pilgrimage, during which they will carry the painting weighing over 100 kgs (220 lbs.) on their shoulders. Their physical weakness and the necessity of learning the specialized dancing techniques from videos on YouTube make them aware of the difficult task they are facing.

This film directed by Olga Blumczyńska and Barbara Ostrowska is part of a research project carried out at the Ethnography Department of the National Museum in Gdańsk.