Day of the mexicans and the orava highlanders / main concert

It is hard to imagine a better day to bring back the motto that has actuated the Festival of the Children of Mountains since its very inception.

It so happens that the path leading from Monday to Friday, which took us through the words ‘mum’, ‘dad’, ‘family’ and ‘love’ has taken us today, through the agency of our guides Aunt Hanka and Uncle Patryk, to the word ‘peace’. This concept takes on particular significance towards the end of the Festival, when the comradeship between the young artists from all over the world has reached its peak. After all, comradeship has already taken its distinct form, for example, between the children from Jabłonka and those from Saltillo.

However, anyone even a little knowledgeable about our highlander spheres also realises the symbolism of the performances - one day after another - by the ensembles from Spisz (ŚFABELKI) and Orawa (MAŁY OWCOK). The Dunajec River has often served not only as a geographical borderline, but also as one that divides emotions. And yet children have a natural tendency to seek out that which brings people together. When you’ve been watching a festival like the Nowy Sącz Festival of the Children of Mountains, you might find yourself longing for paedocracy. “Take note, politicians!” I cry out, though I suspect I’m in the middle of wilderness.

And so, ‘peace’ comes to be expressed through a handshake between a Mexican boy and a Polish girl, or a Polish boy and a Mexican girl. 


On that final national evening of the 33rd Festival of the Children of Mountains, in the audience are: Dariusz Gawęda, Deputy for Investment and Cultural Activity at the Department of Culture and National Heritage of the Małopolska Governor’s Office, with his wife Agnieszka; Stanisław Kasprzak, the Chief of the Jabłonka Commune; Maria Dominika Wachałowicz-Kiersztyn, the Head of the Orawa Ethnographic Park Museum in Zubrzyca Górna; Paweł Jurczyk, who has come from Essen; accompanied by his wife; Józef Błażusiak, the Director of the 1st Branch of PKO BP Bank in Nowy Sącz; Fr. Krzysztof Jeleń, a Jesuit missionary in Chile and Mexico; and Tomasz Baliczek, the Head of the Department of Culture and Sport at the Nowy Sącz Municipal Office.


In the background nestles a small wooden church, a guardian of time and values, and here, in the meadow, two groups meet. The ones going to gather hay talk teasingly to those tending the cows. It all starts with singing, as if from mountain pasture to mountain pasture, which is followed by verbal taunts and even provocations: who’s really working here? The mounting tension is defused by one of the girls, who uses the magic word ‘fun’. How could it be any different on a day whose patron word is ‘peace’? 

And so, instead of having a stick fight, the lads play a game called ‘stick’, which involves letting go of your own stick while trying to catch your comrade’s one. In the background, some other boys are throwing around a rag ball, and the girls form a circle around the ulijanka girl, whose task is to choose whom she loves.

In the game of the ‘sycamore people’, they build bridges for the starost. They let all the horses pass, but leave one behind; and the one that’s left behind becomes part of the bridge. Fewer and fewer horses run under the bridge, as the bridge itself gets bigger and bigger.

A musical band have arrived with them, and so they might as well play a bit. All the children spin round and round in the mill wheel, singing beautifully and cheerfully. They spin round until they all come to a halt with a thud. A few ‘thuds’ actually. And a little polka now. First, at a steady pace, singing. Then in pairs. Singing in two circles, and dancing in two circles again. They’re spinning, their kierpce shoes are beating against the stage boards. Everyone is dancing, from the oldest to the youngest. In the next dance, a snaking line slithers across the stage, with everyone once again finding their place within it. They stand facing the audience. Three quick beats against the stage floor - on ‘one, two, three’ count bring the dance to an end.

And so dancing and singing, singing and dancing intertwine. All together and individual couples. 

Those busy with the hay are coming out of the clearing. The others sing that there aren’t enough of them to “bake bread,” snatching up one by one those sitting on the ground, until finally no one is left sitting. Everyone dances, forming a single circle, until a warning drifts through the air above the mountain pastures, saying that it’s worth checking out the abandoned cows, as they have apparently caused some damage.


During the interval between the ensembles’ performances, the winner of the competition to name our Festival hedgehog is announced. From today onwards, his name is Miecio.


In the background, the LED screen displays breathtaking landscapes from faraway Mexico. And on stage, BALLET FOLKLÓRICO XOCHIPITZAHUAT - the dancers start off with a bang. Or rather, a whole cascade of heels banging on the stage floorboards. These bangs have a name: they’re called ‘zapateado’.

First, they dance in pairs. The girls’ white and pink dresses swirl around the boys. Now it’s just the girls. For a moment, because the lads themselves add a new, metallic sound to the zapateado as one machete strikes another. Together again. And a peaceful ending.

The band features guitars, violins, and a trumpet that stands out above the other instruments. As the children go off stage to get changed, the musical instruments are joined by the finest of all: the solo voice of one of the musicians. In the background, the Mexican flag flies proudly on the screen.

There are four lads on stage. Once again, everything is shaking from the heel thuds, although it seems that the essence of their dance lies in their juggling act with machetes, or maybe they are giant knives – which probably amounts to the same thing. So the sound of metal striking metal and leather striking wood intertwines. They come together and scatter, so that with one final strike – like a final flourish – they bring the performance to a close.

The girls are back on stage. Now each one is in a different colour. They dance facing the audience, the frills on their skirts billowing gently, before stepping aside to make way for the lads on stage. Once again, the sound of the boots striking the stage floorboards, and machetes clanging against one another. The girls’ hands are not empty either, nor are the girls themselves bareheaded. First, they use fans as props; a moment later, they place glasses on their heads.


The MAŁY OWCOK ensemble from Jabłonka is back, singing and dancing in their traditional festive costumes. They sing about their native region of Orawa, and dance the Orawa dance. In circles, in pairs, but also in threes: one boy, two girls. With dignity, side by side, facing the audience. The music picks up, and they form whirling circles of three. At last, all together in a circle. 

The dances performed by the children from Orawa, amongst others, are: polka krzyżowo, tyrcikolka, wróna, trojok, jeleniosek.


The Mexican musical band returns to the stage to perform first for the girls alone, in their colourful dresses, and then for the boys alone, in their black outfits with red ornaments. For most of their performance, however, they have danced together. The performance highlights have been dances from the regions of Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit. Some dynamic choreographic routines: son, jarabe and huapango.


Imagine you run a patisserie in Nowy Sącz. Imagine that, during the last full week of July, some children from a foreign country come to visit you – you can easily tell they’re from abroad, because they speak a language other than Polish. Imagine that one of these children leaves their wallet behind at your cake shop. What do you do? For the owners of the Nika Patisserie-Café, it was a no-brainer: just get in touch with the organising office of the Festival of the Children of Mountains. Well, after all, it’s the last full week of July! And mind you, we are in Nowy Sącz! Thanks to this praiseworthy conduct, one of the children in the Mexican ensemble got their precious item back. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the NIKA Patisserie-Café.