“Svit pid Kycherom” associated

The international folk festival „Svit pid Kycherom” has joined the Association of Folklore Festivals of the Western Poland. This is one of the first this year’s news about the festival that, since a dozen or so years, has been annually organized by the Lemko Song and Dance Ensemble “Kychera.”

A few months before this year’s jubilee twentieth edition, the festival joined the aforementioned association that unites folklore festivals that take place in the western part of Poland, i.e. festivals from Zielona Góra, Poznań or Gorzów Wielkopolski. “Svit pid Kycherom” as a festival never took place in one place, always – apart from Legnica where the ensemble has their headquarters – moves to further places in the Lower Silesia, mainly where a big number of the Lemko minority lives. Apart from this, a few editions have taken place also in the mother land of Rusyns. “Svit pid Kycherom” came to such places as: Krynica, Gorlice, Wysowa, as well as other Lemko towns and villages, including Bartne where one year the main performances took place. In the last years the festival visited also the Presovian Rus’ where in the village of Kurovo, with the participation of the local Rusyns, although it  crossed the territorial Slovak-Polish border, it still remained on the Rusyn ethnic territory.

Membership in the asociation of Polish festivals is supposed to bring the festival organized by „Kychera” mostly broader promotion caused by publishing new folders that will be available at similar events, as well as enable to mutually invite groups that take part in other festivals. The decision that Kychera join the Association of Foklore Festivals of the Western Poland was made a few days ago when in Zabrze and Zielona Góra members of the association met and discussed topics related to folklore and multiculturalism of the western Poland.

To the festival ensembles are invited that, although outside of geographical background, often present the remote culture of their countries, some of them are representatives of national minorities. A simple example are ensembles from Slovakia that, when are no entirely Rusyn, include in their repertoires some of our accents. Apart from “Kychera” also other Lemko ensembles performed a the festival, e.g. “Roztoka” from Rudna or “Lastivochka” – the ensemble of the Lemko Association that as for today, as the only ensemble within the Lemko folklore environment, can be proud of prestige CIOFF certificate.

Phot. above: participants of the festival from 2015: Rusyns from Poland and guests from Serbia.