Polka "Polka". Nejedlý also writes that Václav Vladivoj Tomek also claims the Hradec Králové roots of a Polka. OED also suggests that the name may have been derived from the Czech "Polka" meaning "Polish woman" (feminine form corresponding to "Polák", a Pole). The word was widely introduced into the major European languages in the early 1840s. It should not be confused with the "polska", a Swedish dance with Polish roots (cf. polka-mazurka). A related dance is the redowa. Polkas almost always have a time signature. Folk music of Polka style appeared in written music about 1800. The beginning of the propagation
Polka in the United States Polka Festival, SloveneFest, and Tony Petkovsek's Thanksgiving Polka Weekend. Beginning in the early 1970s, the phenomenon of "polka masses" began appearing. Polka masses are usually held by members of the Roman Catholic Church who consider the polka an important part of their ethnic heritages. The first polka mass was created by Father George Balasko in 1972 and the idea was spread by Father Frank Perkovich throughout the '70s and '80s. Both were polka musicians. In composing a polka mass, a musician either alters the lyrics of polka pieces to become more appropriate for a spiritual setting or creates an entirely