Traditions

Harvest

Harvest celebrations and local produce fairs.

17 documented events

Food

Food festivals, local dishes and markets.

4 documented events

Shepherding

Celebrations of shepherding and pastoral traditions.

2 documented events

Crafts

Traditional crafts, workshops and artisan fairs.

9 documented events

Customs

Community celebrations, folk music and seasonal customs.

78 documented events

Cieszyn art and historical gunsmithing

Craftspeople in Cieszyn preserve techniques for making and decorating historic firearms.

Kraków nativity scenes

Hand-built nativity scenes draw on Kraków’s architecture and local stories.

Lajkonik procession

A figure costumed as a rider on a mock horse leads the Kraków procession.

Ulanów rafting

The community on the San River passes on knowledge of building rafts and floating timber.

Corpus Christi procession in Łowicz

Residents gather in regional dress for the procession.

Esperanto culture

Speakers maintain a body of literature and cultural practices around the international language with links to Poland.

Podhale bagpipes

Makers and musicians preserve the skills of building and playing the koza.

Żukowo school of Kashubian embroidery

Embroiderers pass on the Żukowo patterns and techniques.

Falconry

Practitioners keep, train and hunt with birds of prey.

Polish national dances

The repertoire includes the polonaise, mazur, krakowiak, kujawiak and oberek.

Blessing of animals in Mikstat

People bring animals to be blessed during St Roch’s festivities.

Felczyński bell casting in Taciszów

Bell founders hand down their moulding and casting skills.

Warmian dialect and oral traditions

Warmian speech preserves local stories and memories.

Szymborze Easter verses

Local residents read rhymed verses aloud during the Easter dyngus festivities.

Wooden toys from Żywiec and Sucha Beskidzka

Craftspeople make and paint wooden toys.

Forest beekeeping

Bee colonies are kept in hollows prepared in standing trees or logs.

Perebory weaving on the Bug River

Patterned strips decorate textiles such as traditional garments.

Kraków bobbin lace

Lacemakers cross threads wound on bobbins to produce lace.

Biskupizna traditions

Villages around Krobia keep regional speech, costumes, music and customs alive.

New Year mummers of Żywiec

Costumed groups visit homes around New Year.

Grodzisk Turks

Men dressed as Turks stand guard at the symbolic Tomb of Christ.

Koniaków crochet lace

Lacemakers crochet small motifs and link them together.

Greater Poland bagpipes

Musicians preserve the repertoire and several regional types of bagpipe.

Lucimia kabłącok baskets

Basketmakers in Lucimia pass on how to make this local type of basket.

Szamotuły wedding traditions

Local weddings preserve regional songs, clothing and customs.

Kumoterki sleigh races

Horse teams compete in winter using small traditional sleds.

Żywiec bagpipes

Musicians and instrument makers preserve Żywiec bagpipes and play them on local occasions.

Corpus Christi flower carpets in Spycimierz

Residents arrange flowers along the route of the procession.

Gajdy bagpipes

Makers and musicians in the Silesian Beskids preserve this local instrument.

St Barbara’s Day among Upper Silesian coal miners

December festivities bring together ceremonies, music and mining customs.

Basketry in Poland

Weavers turn plant materials into baskets and other containers.

Poznań Bamber traditions

The Bamber community in Poznań maintains dress and customs linked to its Franconian origins.

Opole scratched eggs

Decorators scratch patterns into the surface of dyed eggs.

Opole painted ornament

Artists paint regional patterns on objects including porcelain.

Leading the bear in Opole Silesia

People dressed for carnival visit houses with a performer costumed as a bear.

The polonaise

Couples follow a leader in a procession-style dance at celebrations.

Kashubian Gwiôzdka

Costumed groups visit households during the Christmas season.

Kurpie papercutting in the Green Forest

Paper ornaments include star-shaped designs and leluja patterns.

Krzyżoki in Borki Małe

The village keeps a night-time Easter religious observance.

Babski comber in Opole Silesia

Women gather for music and dancing during the carnival season.

Flower carpets in four Opole Silesian villages

Klucz, Olszowa, Zalesie Śląskie and Zimna Wódka decorate the route for Corpus Christi.

Wax-resist Easter eggs in Opole Silesia

Decorators apply wax patterns before dipping eggs in dye.

Dunaj carols of Łukowa

Singers in Łukowa and nearby villages perform this seasonal repertoire.

Easter food blessing in Dąbrowa Chotomowska

The community keeps its own customs for blessing Easter foods.

Sowing hearts and crosses near Strzelce Opolskie

Plants are sown in heart and cross patterns in local fields.

Kurpie ceremonial breads

Byśki and nowe latka include small baked forms shaped like animals.

Carillon music in Gdańsk

Melodies are played on sets of tuned bells.

Kujawy goat mummers

Carnival groups visit homes with an actor in the role of a goat.

Embroidery from Urzecze

Embroidery from the Vistula communities decorates garments and other textiles.

Bziuki Easter fire in Koprzywnica

Local firefighters perform a fire display during the Easter observances.

Warmian headdress making

Makers recreate the caps that form part of traditional Warmian dress.

Traditional Puck boatbuilding

Craftspeople preserve techniques used in building local boats.

Bearded New Year mummers of Sławatycze

Figures in costume visit residents in the closing days of the year.

Bukówiec Górny cultural traditions

The village preserves local music, dress and customs.

Demoscene

Creators combine code, graphics and sound in short digital works.

Amber craftsmanship in the Kurpie Green Forest

Craftspeople work amber into jewellery and decorative objects.

Snutka embroidery in Golina

This openwork embroidery comes from southern Greater Poland.

Kurpie embroidery in the White Forest

Embroiderers maintain the patterns that decorate regional clothing.

Crosses made from Easter palms in Opole

People make small crosses from palms blessed before Easter.

Upper Silesian horseback Easter processions

Some communities hold Easter processions on horseback.

Wałbrzych coal miners’ St Barbara’s Day

The mining community preserves its own December celebrations.

Feather stripping in Opole Silesia

Working with feathers together provides an occasion for conversation and stories.

Traditional shepherding in the Carpathians

Senior shepherds manage seasonal grazing, make cheese and organise work in mountain shelters.

Black Highlanders’ woven gloves

The community preserves the weaving of gloves traditionally used by carters.

Ciężkowice basket weaving

Residents pass on how to weave a local type of basket.

Spruce-root basketry in the Silesian Beskids

Weavers prepare spruce roots and use them as a material for basketry.

Salt miners’ celebrations in Bochnia and Wieliczka

Mining communities hold St Barbara’s Day festivities and preserve devotion to St Kinga.

Ore miners’ traditions near Tarnowskie Góry

The local community remembers ore mining and its patron saint.

Upper Silesian miners’ brass bands

Mining bands play for community and professional occasions.

Bobowa bobbin lace

Lacemakers preserve a technique using threads wound around wooden bobbins.

Basketry in Opole Silesia

Local makers weave plant materials into everyday objects.

Opole Silesian herbal knowledge

Communities pass on how to find and use herbs.

Dobrzeń Wielki embroidery

Local embroiderers preserve patterns and techniques.

Żywiec townspeople’s dress

The community preserves how to sew and wear its traditional town costume.

Pieniny rafting on the Dunajec

Rafters pass on how to guide traditional craft through the river.

Kutno folk woodcarving

Local craftspeople preserve a tradition of carving figures in wood.

Kurpie Green Forest embroidery

Local workshops teach embroidery patterns used in regional dress.

Pottery in Medynia and nearby villages

Craftspeople maintain local pottery workshops and skills.

Easter drumming in Iłża

A drum known as a baraban sounds around the town during the Easter observances.

Gogolin harvest crowns

The community makes ceremonial crowns from grain and other plants.

St Lawrence fires

A fire-lighting practice associated with festivities for St Lawrence.

Kashubian embroidery

Kashubian schools preserve their own colours and plant motifs.

Cimbalom building and playing in south-eastern Poland

Musicians and makers preserve the instrument and its repertoire.

Węgrów double-warp weaving

Weavers use two sets of warp threads to build patterned cloth.

Homing pigeon keeping and flights

Breeders keep and train pigeons and organise flights.

Jagiellonian University opening procession

The university marks the start of the academic year with a formal procession.

St Roch’s procession in Dobrzeń Wielki

Participants carry religious figures during the festivities.

Żory Fire Festival

A procession commemorates a major fire in the town’s history.

Warsaw walking pilgrimage to Jasna Góra

Pilgrims travel on foot from Warsaw to the sanctuary in Częstochowa.

Wejherowo pilgrim image bows

Groups make ceremonial bows with images carried on frames.

Wooden toys of Łączna and Ostojów

Local workshops keep traditional wooden toy making alive.

Kurpie Green Forest Easter palms

Tall palms made with colourful flowers and tissue paper accompany Palm Sunday.

Kurpie White Forest oklejanka eggs

Decorators glue material onto Easter eggs to form local patterns.

Tarnowskie Góry Gwarki procession

Costumed participants portray figures from the town’s history and its mines.

Steelworkers’ Day and steelworks traditions

Local communities maintain the professional traditions and special day of steelworkers.

Opoczno cultural traditions

People in the area preserve local dress, songs, music and social customs.

Świętokrzyskie papercutting

Craftspeople create decorative compositions cut from paper.

Chazy cultural traditions

Communities around Rawicz preserve local music and dress.

Łemko krywulka beadwork from Komańcza

Makers create broad necklaces woven with small beads.

Wafer ornaments in the Liwiec Valley

Local households make delicate decorations from Christmas wafers.

All Saints’ collection at Stare Powązki

A public collection around All Saints’ Day helps maintain historic graves in Warsaw.

Painted houses of Zalipie and nearby villages

Floral motifs decorate homes and household objects.

Jastarnia midsummer festivities

Jastarnia keeps its own midsummer customs.

Bielsk ceremonial towels

Woven rucznik towels are used in community and family ceremonies.

Lubelskie hanging pająki decorations

Craftspeople shape straw, tissue and paper into ornaments hung indoors.

Bodzentyn weaving

Local weavers pass on how to make regional fabrics.

Górale Czadeccy traditions

Families preserve songs, customs and memories of migration.

Christmas Eve in Poland

Households share a meal, exchange wishes over wafers and sing carols.

Pałuki embroidery

Embroiderers maintain local motifs and techniques for decorating regional garments.

Sieradz embroidery

Communities pass on the patterns and techniques of traditional clothing.

Toruń gingerbread

Bakers make spiced dough and press it in decorated moulds.

Carolling beneath windows in Wisła

Carollers sing and wish residents well from outside their homes.

Bukovinian Highlander wedding

Traditional songs, dress and dancing are part of the community’s wedding customs.

Szczodroki rounds in Karczmiska

Residents visit homes and exchange good wishes around the New Year.

Corpus Christi procession in Myszyniec

People in Myszyniec gather for Corpus Christi observances.

Wax-resist Easter eggs in Lubelskie

Decorators use wax to preserve patterns while dyeing eggs.

Polish Carpathian highland culture

Mountain communities pass on music, dress, sheep-rearing skills and customs.

Żywiec tissue paper crafts

Craftspeople turn tissue paper into flowers and ornaments.

Easter bears in Góra

Costumed participants portray bears as part of a local Easter custom.

Flower carpets in Skęczniew

Residents place floral compositions along the processional route.

Easter procession and tomb guards in Dobra

The parish observes the Emmaus procession and a ceremonial Tomb of Christ guard.

Krasnystaw scratched eggs

Decorators scratch the surface of dyed eggs to create kraski patterns.

Brzóza Stadnicka wooden toys

Local makers shape and decorate wooden toys.

Lasowiak wooden toys

Craftspeople between the Vistula and San preserve regional toy designs.

Kurpie White Forest papercutting

Local makers cut traditional patterns out of paper.

Pałuki festive ornament making

Craftspeople make decorations for local celebrations and ceremonies.

Tyszowce ceremonial candles

The community makes and carries large candles at religious celebrations.

Opole Silesian beekeeping

Beekeepers pass on techniques and the region’s beekeeping history.

Lubelskie wafer decorations

Lightweight decorations made of wafers are displayed at Christmas.

Chałupki pottery and ceramic figures

Potters form vessels and figures from clay.

Traditional stove building

Stove builders preserve the skills used to build and repair masonry stoves.

Straw ornaments near Lubartów

Craftspeople weave decorations by hand in Majdan Kozłowiecki, Annobór and Łucka-Kolonia.

Łemko language and heritage

The language carries the Łemko community's cultural memory.

Harvest festivals

Local harvest celebrations include a ceremonial wreath and gifts made with the new crop. Each municipality sets its own date.

Potato harvest

Open-air museums demonstrate traditional ways of lifting and gathering potatoes as a group.

Łowicz papercutting

Coloured cutouts are layered to make designs featuring flowers, roosters and other local motifs.

Łemko Watra

The word watra refers to both a fire and the community festival. The gathering in Zdynia includes music and craft.

Shepherds’ instruments

Instruments such as the ligawka, bazuna and trombita have long associations with rural life.

Olęder plum preserve making

The open-air museum in Wiączemin recalls orchard work and plum preserves on riverside farms.