During one fine day in Wrocław, I distributed about 350 tiny plastic ladybugs to people on the streets.
Most reaction was very positive: smiles, thanks, change of body language to indicate a dropping of defenses.
Sign for the Biedronka supermarket in Gryfów Śląski
Those who refused to accept my little gift, by and large, tended to be working in wage employment. Marketplace vendors, sole traders and so on were delighted. The lovely young woman wearing a boring gray knit corporate shirt behind the counter at the KFC, and the security guard there, didn’t want anything to do with ladybugs.
The ladybug (Polish: biedronka, Slovak: lienka) has positive associations in people’s minds in this area, at least in Poland and Slovakia. Killing a ladybug is considered bad luck, at the very least, which leads a lot of folks to consider seeing one as good luck.
And my luck seems to be increasing.
Tags: biedronka, charity, compassion, employment, gift, gift economy, ladybird, ladybug, lienka, love, luck, market, Poland, security, Slovakia, wage
