These photographs record St Barbara's Day (Barbórka), celebrated in Poland on 4 December. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners, who have long invoked her protection against sudden death underground, and the day is one of the most important dates in the calendar of Poland's mining communities.

Miners mark it by wearing their dress uniforms, with dark jackets, braid, polished buttons and plumed caps, and by taking part in processions, Masses and brass band performances. Many then gather for festive meals and gatherings that continue long into the evening. New miners are often welcomed into the profession through traditional initiation rituals, and the day also honours those who have been lost to the pits.

Taken in the early years after the end of communism, the images show a tradition that remained deeply rooted at a time when the industry itself was entering a period of uncertainty and change.

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©Justin Leighton 2026