1 may

 

In last Christmas Eve I went to church and I heard Midnight Mass. I have never been before in Midnight Mass, and I went there, like a tourist. This was funny experience, but it is subject for another article. I was listening speech of priest, and I remember that he was complaining for commercialization, and he was scared, that most of Catholics don’t serious think about their religion. In the end of November all shops are decorated in Christmas elements, and most of Catholics think only about shopping. They are hunting for special offers, and spent a lot of money for a gifts. They also think a lot about holiday feasts, about preparing a food, and they don’t have time to think about Jesus.  He was complaining that commercialization of everything change Catholics to people who behave like Atheists. He was right in one thing. For most people in Poland Christmas Eve is a family holiday, when you can eat good food. Children are also interested in gifts. This is religion holiday only in name, but not in practice. I was rising in atheistic family, but I always liked this days. I like Christmas dishes. I like herrings with onion, dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms, I like all this food, and I can say that this is also my holiday.

Now I have some impressions about first may. In past in this day we had big workers demonstrations. In this year, in some countries we have also big demonstrations, but in Poland, all first may demonstrations were very weak. For example in Warsaw we had 185 members of demonstration (number from lewica.pl). It’s time to ask all polish radical left –it is still holiday of working class? I think that the most happy in this day is middle class. In Poland we have also holiday in 3 may. So it is possible to take one day off, and get 5 day holidays: (1,2,3 may +weekend). We have special name for this 5 day holidays: MAJÓWKA. If you have enough money you can go to TATRY mountains, or to MAZURY lakes. It is spring, and usually in Poland beginning of may we have nice weather. We can compare the small demonstration in Warsaw with big crowd in Mazury. In these days hotels in the famous polish touristic places, are crowded, and I think that most happy in these days are peoples from middle class, who likes to rides in spring holidays. I think that Poland is exception. We have important patriotic holiday in 3 may, and we have possibilities to have short holidays. In Poland we have also very strong anticommunists propaganda.

We can imagine situation, that Law and Justice will won parliamentary elections, and some anticommunists from this party will start campaign to “delete communists holiday in 1 may”. What do you think, who will serious fight for free day in 1 may? The polish radical left? This 185 people ? No. This holiday still exist, because middle class want to have holidays in spring. This is cruel truth. We can complain like this priest, that most of working class are not interested in 1 may demonstrations. They can choose, between sausages from grill and drinking beer with family/friends or demonstration. In this year they didn’t come. In lasts years situation was the same, and WITHOUT BIG CHANGE in the next year, they will also not come.

Piotr Ikonowicz and his comrades never had big connections with working class. This demonstrations never been very big, but in the past – they can be confronted with demonstration of Alliance of Democratic Left (SLD). In this confrontations, Ikonowicz and his supporters from Youth Organization of Polish Socialist Party (OM PPS) could shout radical slogans, and always it was shown in TV. In this year SLD resigned from demonstration, and Ikonowicz was alone in Warsaw street. 1 may demonstration without working class, and without confrontation with SLD was boring for media, and they ignored our demonstration. This is fact. In future, there will be the same situation, and without big  change I don’t believe, that this demonstrations have sense. Ikonowicz always trying to be alternative to SLD. The confrontation with SLD gives him power and radical youth supporters. But death of SLD-demonstrations is paradoxically also bad news for Ikonowicz. I think that now it is high time to think about cooperation. There is no place for dozens of 5 peoples group.

Of course it is good, that in this day we can meet each other and talk. It was good for me, that I could talk about this blog. But if we don’t want only talk in this day, we must hard work all year. Many peoples ask me question: “why don’t you write in Polish?”. I can give many answers, but in 1 may I said, that I will not waste my time and energy to write for this 185 peoples, because in other European cities we have demonstrations of thousands.