The rainbow never sets

certainly looked very funny. The 'woman' carried a great big basket on her arm, in which she collected edible donations, such as cakes, eggs, chocolates, sweets etc. which later were shared among the group. The 'man' took donations of money, which was equally shared.

Group around Easter Bear

Another character was the kominiarz or chimney sweep. He looked like a real chimney sweep, with a semblance of a top hat and very black all over, with plenty of spare soot in his pockets for later use. There were two of them in that group.

The 'horse rider' was the most feared of all, because he chased all and sundry with his strong whip. Part of his costume was a simple papiermache half-body of a horse, attached to his front and back. His cap was the square cap of the Polish Ulans, an unmistakable sign of authority and power. He had an assistant, who rode a hobby horse, with an equally feared whip in his hand.

This motley crowd moved through the village streets, the riders chasing young men and whipping them, if they got caught. The chimney sweeps chased the girls, and when they got caught, they would give them a big black kiss, leaving their sooty marks all over the clothes as well. For a special treat, they put some spare soot over their hair as well. The bear tamer, with his long whip, also aimed at worthwhile targets, but in any case, he made sure nobody, especially naughty boys, would come too close to the bear. For us children this procession was terribly exciting and

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