Zabawa przeszłością – zabawa w przeszłość. Historia uludyczniona

Abstract

The contemporary consumptive society is a society of playing, which means that fun and entertainment play a gradually greater role in its culture. The social range and accessibility of playing are growing, there are more and more forms of and places for play, and more time is devoted to it, especially in urban communities. The article deals with one of the forms of play: playing with the past, and playing the past. These are two sides of a coin. Playing with the past is using props, characters and events for the purpose of playing, while playing the past is a different kind of human activity (participating, active play), which is more lasting and more profound. We can include here, first of all, membership of chivalric brotherhoods. Playing the past is recreating the past and existing – even partly – in this reconstructed world. Playing with the past and playing the past are socially significant. People playing with the past and those playing the past are groups that realize a peculiar kind of community-forming. Members of the groups perceive playing as a hobby, a passion, and a walk of life. It is valuable that people of different age, of different generations, integrate, that they build up the sense of belonging, and that they spend their leisure in a useful and creditable way, while – last but not least – having real fun.