Małopolska Customs and Traditions

Małopolska Customs and traditions Małopolska 8 UNESCO sites 250 attractions on the Wooden Architecture Route Wadowice – town of birth of Pope John Paul II Salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia 9 spa resorts 6 national parks 4 geothermal pools Rafting down the Dunajec gorge 2600 km of bicycle trails 3360 km of mountain trails 250 ski runs www.visitmalopolska.pl EUROPEAN UNION EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND Project co-financed by the European Union within the Malopolska Regional Operational Programme 2007–2013 Rejkiawik IS Małopolska Capital of the region: Kraków Major cities: Tarnów, Nowy Sącz, Oświęcim Surface area: 15,190 km2 (about 5% of the surface area of Poland) Population: 3.28 mil. (about 8% of the population of Poland) Landscape: FIN Helsinki the tallest peak – Rysy: 2499 m asl N Oslo S mountains – Tatras, Beskids, Pieniny, Gorce Sztokholm Tallin EST RUS foothills – Carpathian Foothills Ryga uplands – Kraków-Częstochowa Upland LV Dublin DK lowlands – Vistula valley IRL Kopenhaga LT Wilno main rivers – Vistula, Dunajec, Poprad, Raba, Skawa, Biała GB RUS Mińsk NL water reservoirs – Czorsztyński, Rożnowski, Czchowski, Dobczycki, Londyn BY Amsterdam Klimkówka Berlin Bruksela Warszawa D PL the highest located, cleanest lakes – Morskie Oko, Czarny Staw, the lakes B Kijów L Praga KRAKÓW of the Valley of Five Polish Lakes Paryż Luksemburg UA the largest and deepest cave – Wielka Śnieżna Cave: over 22 km CZ SK Bratysława of corridors, 824 m deep F FL Wiedeń Berno MD Vaduz Budapeszt CH A H Kiszyniów Lublana SLO RO Zagrzeb San Bukareszt Marino HR AND Monako BIH Belgrad P E MC RSM Andora Sarajewo SRB Lizbona I Madryt MNE Soﬁa Priština BG Rzym Podgorica RKS Skopje V Tirana MK Publisher AL Department of Tourism, Sport and Promotion GR TR at The Office of the Marshal of the Małopolska Province Ateny Regional Tourism Information System Team ul. Basztowa 22, 31-156 Kraków [email protected] M www.visitmalopolska.pl Text Krzysztof Bzowski Photos P. Droździk, M. Flis, R. Korzeniowski, J. Michalczak, P. Mierniczak, A. Otrębski, A. Pilch- -Ziobroń, M. Zaręba, D. Zaród, iStockPhoto.com photo archive, UMWM photo archive; R. Kularska-Król (drawing) Publishing Amistad Sp. z o.o. – Program ul. Stolarska 13/7, 31-043 Kraków tel./faks: + 48 12 4229922 Wysowa-Zdrój [email protected], www.polskaturystyczna.pl Production management: Agnieszka Błaszczak, Małgorzata Czopik Project coordination: Katarzyna Thor Publishing concept: Anna Niedźwieńska Editor: Aurelia Hołubowska Proofreading: Agnieszka Szmuc Cover design, graphic design: PART SA Maps: Wydawnictwo Kartograficzne Daunpol sp. z o.o. Typesetting, preparation for print: Michał Tincel Translation and proofreading: EuroInterpret Dominik Moser Kraków 2010, ISBN 978-83-61355-83-0 The authors and publishers have made every effort to ensure the text is accurate, however, they cannot be responsible for any changes that took place after the materials have been prepared for publishing. Materials prepared as of 29 October 2010. MAŁOPOLSKA Customs and traditions isiting Małopolska is a unique opportuni- ty to see real highlanders wearing their folk costumes: woollen trousers with the embroidered parzenice, a hat with a feather, and the Vcharacteristic shoes called kierpce. One can also ad- mire the rakish Kraków folk costumes with an exquisite peacock feather attached to a red, four-cornered cap, as well as the glistening bodices and flowery skirts. But there is much more to the traditional culture of the region than just folk costumes. There are a number of original religious rituals and customs, which are still cultivated by the locals during important festivals. The legends and tales about the olden days, as well as the mysteries and ghosts, are part of the rich cultural heritage of Małopolska. Other important components of this heritage are local products and original local dish- es created with their use. The still existing folk culture is the strongest expression of the variety of Małopolska, whose every region has its own particular costumes, customs, traditions, dish- es and delicates. fot. D. Zaród folk Folk costumes Everyone must have seen at one point the famous costume of a Cracovian, with a peacock feather proudly attached to a four-cornered cap, or a highlander’s hat rimmed with shells and adorned with a feather. Richly sequined bodices, thick strings of beads, vividly coloured skirts, meticulously embroi- costuMeS dered parzenice on the highlander’s trousers… The folk costumes of Małopolska sparkle with boldest colours and amaze with their variety of design and ornamentation. The most famous folk costumes are worn by the Cracovians and the highlanders from Podhale. Very different traditions were cultivated by the Lemkos and the Rusyns from Beskid Sądecki and the Low Beskids. Still different costumes were worn by the highlanders of Spisz, Orawa and Lachów, near Nowy Sącz. The Cracovians are famous for their costumes. The traditional man’s costume consisted of a white linen shirt and red-striped trousers tucked into high boots. The top was a black or dark navy blue tunic, adorned with red weeds and metal circles, girded with a belt and covered with a long, white, woollen russet coat with a red-weed pattern. The costume was complete with a celender hat, a woollen ma- gierka cap or the characteristic red-cornered cap with a peacock feather and colourful ribbons. Wom- en, in turn, used to wear a white embroidered blouse and a black or navy blue bodice, which was the most ornamental element of the costume – adorned with wide, colourful ribbons, buttons and fan- cywork. They would put on a flowery skirt and a white embroidered tulle apron on a white petticoat, and high boots on their feet. The costume of a married woman was complete with shawls, whereas maidens appeared with their hair uncovered and arranged in a long plait. The Lendians inhabit a major part of the Beskids and the area around Nowy Sącz in particular. Their costume is very original, although not very well known – it combines elements of the Kraków and the highlander costumes. It is characterised by its ornamental richness. Men used to wear navy blue trousers and embroidered tunics with numerous brass bosses and coloured woollen weeds. Underneath, they wore a white shirt girded with a wide highlander-style leather belt, or sometimes with a highlander’s stud. Women wore velvet bodices and skirts, usually of navy blue colour. The Lemkos from the Low Beskids and the Nowy Sącz area created a completely different costume. Men wore the so called czucha – a long, brown linen overcoat with a characteristic fringed back collar. Underneath, they used to put on a short navy blue waistcoat, a white shirt and white trousers. Women, in turn, would wear thin white shirts with colourful embroideries around the collar and the cuffs, navy blue or black bodices with embroidered flower-patterns. The percale skirts were dark and decorated with vertically arranged colourful ribbons. The last component of their costume were kierpce shoes. An ornament of the Lendian costume, photo by P. Droździk The costume of the Lendians from Podegrodzie, photo by P. Droździk Cracovians, photo by D. Zaród 2 3 folk costuMeS The highlanders from Podhale, who live at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, are very proud of their beautiful traditional costume. That is why Podhale is the place where folk costumes are so com- monly seen. And a marvellous sight it is, too! Women wear meticulously crafted flat leather shoes (known as kierpce), colourful skirts with a linen apron and a petticoat underneath. A linen shirt with white embroidery is covered with a red or black velvet bodice, often adorned with coloured embroidery presenting a carline or a Turk’s cap lily. Finally, there are the obligatory thick strings of beads and a sheepskin coat for when it gets cold. Men put on a white shirt with an ornamental metal collar stud and a waistcoat called gunia or a loose woollen jacket known as cucha – both ornamentally embroidered. A wide leather belt, which used to serve as a pocket for pistols, holds up the white cloth trousers with a black stripe and the decorative embroideries called parzenice. The costume is complete with the leather kierpce, a cane called ciupaga and a black felt hat adorned with shells and a feather. The highlanders from Pieniny wear a white shirt, a glaring-blue, richly embroidered waistcoat and the traditional white trousers with parzenice. The last necessary element of the costume is a black hat with a little strap imitating a string of shells. In the past, highlanders also used to put on a white or brown embroidered cucha as an overgarment. The traditional woman’s costume was similar to those worn in other regions. Its characteristic elements included a white shirt with a large embroidered collar, a black or red bodice, a flowery skirt, embroidered aprons and the kierpce shoes. Babiogórcy, the highlanders from the area around Zawoja, used to wear white trousers with much more modest parzenice and brown, knee-long gunie, worn as an overgarment. Women wore navy blue skirts with a little white pattern and the so-called jadwiśka – a close-fitting jacket. On the other side of the Babia Góra mountain, in Orawy, women used to wear elbow-sleeved blouses with a wide lace frill around the cuff and neckline. They also gladly put on bodices and skirts made of the same flower-patterned material. Here men also wore white trousers with parzenice, as well as a black waistcoat with white buttons and a brown gunia. The highlanders from Spisz, also known as Spiszacy, live east of Podhale. Their costumes vary Kierpce shoes, photo by P. Droździk a lot, even from village to village.

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