Saturday 1 September 2012

dancing the dishes

Having a set of bowls like these could make washing the dishes a pleasure. (Note I said 'could'. I'm not sure this task is ever enjoyable.)


I love the fact that these Polish homewares come in a range of colors that go delightfully together, because I think it's fun to have different patterns in my set.

I did already have some bowls, but we were expecting family to share dinner with us yesterday, so I dashed off to The Cup and Mug and bought three more.

As I was chatting to the owner of the business  I realised one of the patterns has polka dots on it.

 The word polka, according to Polish Language Blog on Transparent Language, means Polish woman:
Theories on the origin of the polka have been well explored before. Briefly, the music and dance are of Bohemian (Czech) origin. It was called the polka either after the Czech word for “half” in reference to the dance’s characteristic half-step, or in sympathy for the Poles’ 1830 uprising. The very word “polka” means Polish woman in the Polish language. One theory says that it may have been a Polish folk dance borrowed by the Bohemians. Another says it has Gypsy roots. Some say it can even be traced to a single person, a Bohemian girl named Anicka Chadimova.
I like my Polish 'Polish woman' bowl. (I like the others too.)


2 comments:

proud womon said...

perhaps anicka chadimova was a polish romani? a wonderful post parlance - and beautiful bowls!

parlance said...

proud womon, you got me thinking on that one! I had a look at a couple of sites that explain her role:

http://www.rounddancing.net/dance/figures/polka.html

and

http://www.illinoischapterpolkofa.org/Fathers.htm

Thanks for giving me the impetus to go looking for more info.