O patriotyzmie inaczej - pozytywna działalność kobiet w legendach, podaniach i opowieściach mieszkańców wsi Podlasia

Abstract

Stories and legends connected with specific region of the country increase our awareness of our roots. They remind us about important values of love of the native land and also about love of the so called little homeland. I have analyzed about two hundred stories and legends of inhabitants of villages of Podlaskie Province in the contexts of patriotism of women. I understand patriotism as an attitude of love, loyalty, attachment to the homeland. Patriotism is also connected with understanding history, tradition, past events of the homeland. Patriotism was realized and understood in a different way in peasant families. For rural dwellers the homeland was the soil - they fought for it and took care of it. Women's patriotism in the villages was praved by every day hard work, devoutness, respect to the national language and symbols, respect to the old generation, generosity to the poor. In sources which I analyzed I looked for women who were original in the sense of brave (courageous), who did something special for the region. I distinguished and described four figures of patriotic women: 1. Women founders of places and institution; 2. Brave women facing threat to their homeland and their families; 3. Women pratecting nature and native land; 4. Women cultivating national tradition.