Living tradition
The Beskid 5 is a place where traditional dresses, songs, crafts and customs are not superficial ornaments, only used to attract tourists; but constitute an authentic way of life, also chosen by the local youth. The immense vivacity of highlander tradition manifests itself most of all in music - there are over 30 active regional bands and folk bands, including some bands popular both nationally and abroad, rewarded repeatedly, such as: Children's Folk Group "Równica", Folk Group "Istebna", "Wałasi" band, Family Song and Dance Group "Kotarzanie" or Folk Group "Klimczok". Many of these groups use traditional instruments in their compositions, such as the gaida, the ocarina, the pipe, the trombita or shepherd's horns.
Regional dresses are an inherent part of the image of highlander folk bands. In the past a highlander’s dress consisted of white leggins, a linen shirt, a red bruclik (a waistcoat) and a dark-coloured gunia (men’s jacket – black in case of Silesian highlanders, brown in case of Żywiec highlanders). On their feet they would put kopyca (thick white socks) tied up with kierpce (a type of leather shoes) leather straps.The women would wear a kabotek – a blouse with short puffed sleeves, over which they would put a cloth corset, a dark-coloured richly pleated skirt and an apron. Every married woman had to cover her head with a bonnet and a scarf. Since the highlander women’s outfit was rather modest, the more affluent female highlanders would wear traditional outfit of the town of Cieszyn or, in case of those living around Szczyrk, of Żywiec. Numerous inhabitants of the Beskid 5 have maintained the ability to make traditional components of regional dresses, in particular bruclik, kabotek and kierpce. A characteristic feature of this outfit is a type of embroidery, the so-called braided embroidery which can be red, black or brown. The patterns on women’s blouses are embroidered on the sleeves and along the neckline, whereas on men’s shirts they are just below the front shirt slit, or along the slit, and around the sleeve edges.
Manufacture of traditional clothing or instruments are not the only traditional handicrafts which have survived in the area of the Beskid 5. Among those still cultivated is the art of log house building; there still are some locals who know the art of manual shingle cutting (szczypanie) – the art that is gradually falling into oblivion; the old smithcraft tradition is cultivated in artistic smithery workshops. The landscapes, customs and famous figures of the Beskid 5 have for ages inspired plenty of local painters and sculptors. Still, the most recognised representative of the Silesiad Beskid art is undoubtedly the Koniaków laces. Initially, they were only made to adorn bonnets worn by all married women; however, since the beginning of the 20th century they have been integrated into blouses and shirts, as well as bed sheets and tablecloths which made this handicraft famous around the world. The laces are usually made from white or cream-coloured thread; individual elements, the so-called kwiotki (flowers), are made separately and combined at the end of the process. Lace patterns – handed down from generation to generation in particular families – are mainly based on plant motifs. The most beautiful laces are found in the following places in the Beskidy Triple Village: the Museum of Lace – Maria Gwarek’s Chamber of Memory, the Chamber of Memory Kamieniarz–Kuboszczyk in Koniaków, as well as the workshop of one of the most famous living lace-makers, Beata Legierska, in Istebna.
