Five years at the Orava Cultural Centre in Jabłonka is the strictest you can get when specifying the time and space of MAŁY OWCOK Folk Ensemble’s activity. However, they are expanding its scope, not infrequently receiving accolades and awards. They came second at the “Złoty Kłos” International Festival of Folk Ensembles in Zebrzydowice, and third at the 15th “Zagłębie i Sąsiedzi” Intercultural Folk Festival in Dąbrowa Górnicza in 2025. However, for us, the audience of the FESTIVAL OF THE CHILDREN OF MOUNTAINS, the most important thing is the distinction and recommendation won by MAŁY OWCOK at the 48th edition of the Carpathian Festival of Children’s Folk Ensembles in Rabka-Zdrój.
And what about historical time? Even though the ensemble is only five years old, underneath its operation lie the turbulent centuries of Upper Orava and its inhabitants, known as the Oravians or Oravci. A small part of this region, nestled against the majestic slopes of the Old Witches’ Mountain, belongs to Poland. Polish, Slovak, Hungarian and Wallachian influences have been intermingling here for centuries, creating an incredibly colourful kaleidoscope of culture.
MAŁY OWCOK's stage time is expressed with their programme’s title: “While grazing,” which, however, is interwoven with haymaking activities. And so, in the space of the clearing, those who tend the cows meet those who tend the cornfields. The initial tension between the groups will be eased by shared play and games: kije, ulijanka, kryncimy koło, jaworowi ludzie, koło młyńskie; and group dancing: kotecka, starała sie moja mać, polka krzyżowo, tyrcipolka, wróna, trojok, jeleniosek, as well as some songs: Orawa, W Babiej Górze bywom.
MAŁY OWCOK's stage time is expressed with their programme’s title: “While grazing,” which, however, is interwoven with haymaking activities. And so, in the space of the clearing, those who tend the cows meet those who tend the cornfields. The initial tension between the groups will be eased by shared play and games: kije, ulijanka, kryncimy koło, jaworowi ludzie, koło młyńskie; and group dancing: kotecka, starała sie moja mać, polka krzyżowo, tyrcipolka, wróna, trojok, jeleniosek, as well as some songs: Orawa, W Babiej Górze bywom.