Wedding of the Weddings
1995/96 Wedding of the Weddings
1995/96
The first ever Wedding of the Weddings, a meeting of couples that married without alcohol, was celebrated in 1995 in Kamesznica, the parish of the famous Pater Zązel. Some 60 couples came together from Jelenia Góra, Wrocław, Wałbrzych, Łódź, Toruń, Skierniewice, Płock, Ostrołęka, Łomża, Białystok, Lublin, Rzeszów, Częstochowa, Kraków, Ochotnica Górna, Nowy Targ, Dębno Podhalańskie, Łopuszno, Szczwnica, Zakopane, Brzegi, Bielsko-Biała, Kęty, Chochołów and other places in Poland. The friendly villagers gave them shelters as to pilgrims, travelling to a shrine. In fact the village of Kamesznica is an original one with respect to the strength of faith of local inhabitants. A five miles long village, with one priest only, has three churches built there, at both ends and in the middle. And, what is most striking, over 100 couples from this village were also participants of the event, because non-alcoholic wedding became so popular here.
Kamesznica is a beautiful Górale village. It is an excellent example of the revival of folk culture. Pater Zązel is a great fan of Górale language, music and tradition and frequently uses Górale dialect in his preaches even outside of the region. He is Kaplan of the Górale Association.
Charming regionally styled houses, Górale traditional garment, original regional music of Kamesznica impressed the participants. All remember the visit to Skoczów and a Holy Mass at the top of the mountain there, with blowing wind. The atmosphere of the mountain Tabor.
Then there was a parade through the main street of the village and whole-night wedding reception, with Górale musicians, recalling the splendid non-alcoholic weddings of the participants.
The next day everybody was speaking about "the next time". And indeed they met again next year in Kamesznica. It was immediately obvious that this event speaks out of the deepest layer of Polish soul. Whoever knows the Poles, knows that they love liberty, freedom, independence. So they accepted easily Christian faith one thousand years ago because Christ came to bring us the liberty of God’s children. The very same Christ warned not to drink with drunkards . Alcohol is on the other hand a symbol of dependence, a contradiction of independence. So a non-alcoholic wedding reception is both the highest expression of Polish love and longing for liberty and of Christian faith.
Therefore it was time to go out from this unusual village where 90% of weddings are non-alcoholic ones, and to spread the light of Christianity all over Poland ... . The enthusiastic mission didn’t remain without fruits. Today what is unimaginable in other European countries, became a standard in Poland: whoever wants to have an extraordinary, splendid, excellent wedding joy and fun for the bride, groom and the guests, organizes a high-society wedding, that is a non-alcoholic wedding.