Culture and Tradition

Poland was represented by two groups of Highlanders from Chicago area in 2007.

Siumni is a Highlander's dancing and music group. The group was created about 7 years ago in Chicago. Once a year they get together in summer during Watra (correct pronounciation: Vatra). One can see some photographs from Siumni's watra. Watrais a highlander's watch-fire. Siumni's Watra is also the occassion for the dance performances, songs and picnic. The benefits from Watra help to pay for promotion of the Polish Highlander Culture - like a travel to Trailing of the Sheep Festival, etc. Marek Ogorek and Zdzislaw Miernicki are in charge of art and performance, Andrzej Tokarz is in charge of administration and promotions. Andrzej (Andrew) Tokarz is also a member of the Polish Highlanders Alliance board. He is also a president of PTDWA described below.

Read more: Polish Highlanders in their Folk Costumes

In the first part of the article we presented several photographs of Polish highlanders in the regional costumes, see it at Trailing of The Sheep Festival in Central Idaho with Polish Mountaineers.

Here we have some pictures of other ethnic groups present in Central Idaho. Basques are always represented in big numbers since quite many Basques live in Boise region. Basques first arrive in America with Columbus. More of them came later with Spanish colonists to South America. From there some left to California to search for gold. Eventually they ended up herding sheep in California, Nevada, Oregon and Southwestern Idaho. Here is the link to the official website of the festival: Trailing of the Sheep. Below are some photographs from 2006 festival.

See Polish Mountaineers: Folk Costumes and Polish Folk Costumes in Different Regions of Poland: Past and Present

I recommend Eyewitness Travel Guide to Poland (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by Teresa Czerniewics-Umer, Malgorzata Omilanowska, Jerzy S. Majewski, DK Travel Writers

This comprehensive book about Poland, showed below, may also be useful for you:
The Rough Guide to Poland by Mark Salter, Jonathan Bousfield

The U.S. television premiere of "A Man Who Became Pope" is Monday, August 15 (8/7 c) only on the Hallmark Channel. It will be rerun on Sunday morning, August 21 and later August 27.

Hallmark Channel is honored to present the U.S. television premiere of, A Man Who Became Pope, the remarkable, true story of the life and times of Pope John Paul II. It is the first biopic on the life of the late Pontiff produced and broadcast on American television.

Read more: Premiere of "A Man Who Became Pope "

On the top of the Wawel hill in Krakow there is a grandiose castle - a residence of Polish kings since the Middle Ages. The Wawel Royal Castle is probably the most prominent tourist attraction not only in Krakow, but in Poland. The legend of the Wawel Dragon makes Krakow even more attractive.

At the foot of the hill there is a cave which was once a medieval inn and brothel. Nowadays it is a tourist attraction from the beginning of May until the end of October, but it is closed during the winter time due to danger of slipping on icy stairs inside. Near the entrance to the cave we can admire a stone dragon statue "exhaling" fire every two minutes! The statue was designed by a famous regional sculptor Bronislaw Chromy in 1972. According to the legend, this cave was inhabited once by a dragon (Polish: smok).

Read more: The Legend of the Wawel Dragon