Jawor

This game has a very long and recorded history, and the first mention of it dates back to 1328 from Italian records. In Poland we know several dozen variants of this game, while in Europe over a hundred have been recorded. This game probably came to Poland with Italian or German settlers, perhaps it also overlapped with native dances and games, in which the motif of procession and “bridge” appeared. Western variants of this game do not mention the “sycamore”, they differ in melody line and lyrics of the sung chant, but in the movement layer this game is very similar to that known in Poland. Its origins in the West, as noted by Piasecki and other scholars of the game, could date back to ancient customs of making sacrifices during the building of bridges and/or collecting tolls for crossing bridges. The procession, on the other hand, may indicate connections with ancient wedding or magic rituals, in which sycamore appears. In Poland, the first description of this game can be found in “Grach i zabawach” by Gołębiowski (1831) and in the writings of Tekla Hofmanowa (1842). Several variations of this game were noted by Kolberg (Kujawy, Poznañskie). Interestingly, other names for this game appear in old descriptions: “Angels and Devils” or “Hell and Heaven”. So where did the sycamore come from in the name of this game? One of the legends says that “Jawor, sycamore, sycamore people…”. was said to have been used by Jan Sobieski, when, before becoming king, he held the office of the governor of Jawor in Podolia. This is just a legend, although it does not lack a certain sense… Jawor was a very popular name given to many villages and small towns in old Poland. This may have been due to the range and widespread occurrence of this tree in the country (only a few variants from Poznañ and Dobrzyñski Land use the phrase “borow” or “borow people” in the song) and its role in old beliefs and folk magic. Piasecki sees the genesis of the “sycamore people” in old spring and summer rituals related to the time of rebirth of life and nature. In the case of the game “sycamore”, the magical meaning of the old ritual-dance remained only in the word, the name of the tree, which in folk culture symbolized rebirth and new life. The motif of a procession and the separation of participants into two camps (good and evil) also contains elements of ancient rituals (perhaps wedding or agrarian), from which only fun remains. It is difficult for us today to find out the true origins of this game and its original, magical, meaning or meanings. Without a doubt, however, it was one of the most popular, most frequently described and most interesting games present in Polish culture. The most frequently described and performed variant of this game in Poland is the passing of children in a procession under a gate of hands formed by two “sycamore people,” accompanied by a singing dialogue between the participants. At the beginning of the game, two children agree in secret which of them is to be an “angel” (good), and which is to be a “devil” (evil). (evil), then they stand opposite each other and shake hands raised in the air, usually with a handkerchief or ribbon, thus creating a gate of hands under which the other participants pass. The end of the ribbon (sometimes string) or handkerchief hidden in the hands of the “spellcaster” was usually tied in a knot (another element of old magic). The other participants of the game, lined up in a row, would approach the “sycamore people” at a walking pace, walking in two ranks or in a line. A singing dialogue was taking place between the two groups:

Participants: Jawor, sycamore people, what are you standing there for? Jawor, sycamore people!

Jawor people: We stand, we stand, we build bridges. Jawor, sycamore people!

Participants: What are you building them of, what are you weaving? Jawor, the people of Jawor!

Jaworowi: From an oak leaf, from a birch bunch. Jawor, sycamore people!

Participants: Give us, give us, a thousand horses to chase away. Jawor, the sycamore people!

Jawor people: We will give willingly, we will give, and we will keep one. Jawor, Jawor people!

After these words, the children pass goose by goose (or in pairs) under the gate from the hands of the “sycamore people,” who are singing at this time:

A thousand horses we let pass, and one we keep,

Jawor, sycamore people!

Jawor, sycamore people!

The rhythm of this last stanza clearly speeds up and on the last verse the “sycamore people” stop the chosen one (or the last one) from the procession by putting their hands down. They also ask the one caught in the gate: Is it to hell or heaven, or is it to an apple or a pear, depending on the regional variant. After making a choice, the child stands behind his or her “sycamore” and the other participants form a group and the whole cycle repeats itself until only two children remain in the procession (they, when the game continues anew, will take the place of the “sycamore people”)