Mali Siedlecanie

Edition 2025
How many places named Siedlec can be found on the map of Poland? Sixteen! But how do we find the one we are interested in? The one in the Bochnia county? Probably the easiest way is to descend from the Obidowa ridge, down the slope of Kułakowy Wierch - the place where over 700 metres above the sea level a spring rises, originating the Raba river, which flows from here all the way to the village of Uście Solne. There, it ends its life in the currents of the Vistula river. Just look sharp to make sure you leave this ancient waterway before it starts encircling Chełm to continue towards Bochnia.
The MALI SIEDLECANIE Song and Dance Ensemble may not be as old as Raba, but it has seen some years. And although it is a children’s ensemble, it appears like a Methuselah among the ensembles attending this year’s Festival. Among our own Polish ones - for sure, as in three years’ time they will be celebrating their... eightieth birthday! It is no wonder then that the ensemble’s list of achievements includes so many contests. They have performed in Dąbrowa Górnicza (at the “Zagłębie i Sąsiedzi”), in Szczyrzyc, in Łoniowa (at the “Krakowiaczek”), as well as in Baranów Sandomierski (at the “Dziecko w Folklorze”). What is more, they have already attended FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS!

MALI SIEDLECANIE cultivate their own tradition, that of the Western Krakowiaks, and especially that of the Nadrabie region - so interesting and varied in both costume, melody and dance. On their national day in Nowy Sącz, we will have an opportunity to see the most characteristic siedlecka polka, but also oberek, krakowiak, jadownicka polka... We will be listening to songs recorded in the ensemble’s home village back in the 1950s. We will also see some games that children used to play “W Siedlcu po jarmarku.”