Life in Motion bog circle: Spring
Traditions are really cool. They're a little trip back in time to a thousand memories of similar but unique experiences we have throughout our lives. They tie us to the people that introduce us to them and all the feelings we have when we repeat them. They're even something like an intentional groundhogs day. That thing we did...it was worth doing again. And again. And again.
Have you ever started a tradition? A few years ago, I did. Only I didn't know it was going to be a tradition until this year.
I grew up in Michigan where there is a fairly large Polish population. And just like everyone is a little Irish on St. Patrick's Day, in Michigan everyone is a little Polish on Fat Tuesday. The traditional idea is to clean out your cupboards of all the things you're supposed to be fasting from over Lent like eggs, flour, and sugar. You do that by making a dense, filled doughnut called a packzi (poonch-key). I didn't know that this was somewhat unique because they were literally available at every corner gas station and every grocery store every single year of my childhood.
But then I moved to Minnesota. And when I called grocery store after grocery store asking about them, I was met with dead air. Silence. Confusion. Clearly I was speaking another language. And I was... I just didn't know it. I was really sad to learn that my packzi days were over!
After a few years of whining about it and attempting to educate the Minnesotans on what they were missing, I decided to try making my own. And you know what? It wasn't too hard. It's a long process, but not difficult. And a new tradition was born. This year, I had the rare opportunity to fully share the tradition with my three boys because they had the day off of school.
And I am THRILLED to have it documented in the following fusion film! It's not the same as the films I create of others because I'm such a big part of this tradition, the camera spent most of the time on the tripod instead of in my hands capturing unique angles.
If you have a tradition you'd love to have documented, please contact me! This is my true passion - saving real memories and real traditions. You won't regret having a keepsake like this. <3
2017 Packzi Day! from Briar Jenstad on Vimeo.
This film is part of a blog circle, so please check out the next film from Francesca Russel here. You won't regret it, she's amazing! :)