Ethnographic Exhibition: Life Stages in the Kalisz Countryside

The ethnographic exhibition tells the story of the successive stages of human life in the villages of the Kalisz region from the late 19th century through the 20th century. It brings together festive and everyday life, the individual and the community, and the ritual year with the calendar of family customs.

The display is divided into eight themes: foundations, growing up, coming of age, safety, creators, harvest, prosperity and tradition. Foundations deals with the security of the family hearth and with faith as part of village life. The part about childhood, linked to baptism and First Communion, shows an embroidered baby wrap and clay whistles. Coming of age opens with a reconstruction of an inter-war white wedding dress with a veil, because wedding rituals in the village were very elaborate. The safety section shows red coral beads with a small cross, combining protective magic with Christianity.

The Creators section presents a reconstruction of a women's Golina costume, snutka embroidery, Kalisz folk basses and folk wood carving. In Harvest there are straw "spider" chandeliers and straw toys linked to harvest festivals and the harvest wreath. The Prosperity chapter shows customs from Christmas to Easter, including devil masks of artificial leather and papier-mâché, worn by Easter mummers in the early 20th century.