Amazing traditions and costumes in Polish regions
Polish roads will take you to many places with fascinating local customs and original traditions. The most notable tradition is… Polish hospitality! You are sure to get a taste of it in rural Poland, which offers excellently organised and equipped agritourism farms as well as different regions’ lush landscapes, cultural and culinary diversity, and lots of traditional and local products.
In the picturesque village of Koniaków in Śląskie province, southern Poland, you can see and buy some very original clothing, as it is made of lace. The village owes its uniqueness to a tradition 200 years old and still going strong: heklowanie, or making crocheted lace wonders. Crochet openwork items from Koniaków have gained such wide acclaim in the world that everyone wants to have them. Tiny flowers, fanciful leaves, delicate buds… Gowns, shawls, tablecloths, doilies and lace curtains are standard fare. But when the lacemakers received orders for underwear, a lace war broke out. Although altar lace being worn under skirts still causes controversy, the lacemakers continue to offer attractive merchandise with names like Subtly Hot Heart and Swanlike Grace.
Folklore from the Łowicz region is a great example of original traditions and costumes. Łowicz, a small town in Łódzkie province, is famous for its vibrant folk culture, which includes regional costumes, a local dialect, dances, music, holidays, and Łowicz crafts such as paper cut-outs and coloured paper “spider” ornaments. Łowicz costumes are among Poland’s most sumptuous and spectacular, worn to this day. The main elements, for women and men alike, are made from woollen homespun striped cloth, ranging from single thin stripes or their groups in red hues, through an orange background, to wide green stripes interspersed with vermilion, white and purple. Green, violet and emerald tones were added to Łowicz striped cloth in the inter-war period. The embroidery patterns changed as well. The original “Polish stitch” and “Russian stitch” were replaced with flat stitch in the early 20th century, and later, in the inter-war period, Richelieu work appeared. The beauty of Łowicz regional costumes has been used in the fashions of other regions. Corpus Christi is an especially exciting celebration in Łowicz, with a colourful procession of people wearing the eye-catching local folk costumes.
Let these unique traditions and costumes inspire you: visit Poland and see many other extraordinary places with rich folklore and hospitable, welcoming people.
