10th edition of Jagiellonian Fair in Lublin

12-14 August 2016 will be the 10th time that Lublin will host the Jagiellonian Fair in Lublin, a festival during which the city pulsates with life and recharges for months to come. From dawn till the small hours enthusiasts of tradition and multiculturality will be able to take part in events whose common denominator is tradition.

The Jagiellonian Fair is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with traditional cultures of Central-East Europe. The festival consists of several thematic modules that offer something for both traditional art experts and aficionados. Drop by the Old Town to see authentic, rare handcrafted art and wares from Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania and Belarus. 250 artists will present, among others, pottery, painting on glass, weaving, wickerwork and toy making. The main theme of this year’s Jagiellonian Fair is traditional embroidery. We will see embroideries from various regions of Poland and Europe- there are several dozen patterns and each is different, unique and beautiful. These intricately made decorations of tablecloths, shirts and doilies will also be featured during the Summer School of Traditional Craft and during workshops and various meetings. We will also have embroidery-focused exhibitions, such as the exhibition of traditional makatka (tapestry) from the collections of Elżbeta Piskorz-Branekova.

The Jagiellonian Fair will also have attractions for th the youngest addressees. In Błonia near the Castle we will open a playground full of traditional games and sports, in the Old Town and in the Castle area we will listen to music and tales. Those who like learning new skills will be able to take part in a wide range of handicraft workshops.

The Jagiellonian Fair Playground is children’s favourite place though parents are just as happy to revisit their childhood games. It’s a space where we can play rubber band skipping, bottle caps, jacks, or hopscotch. Wooden Mubabao blocks, jackstraws, domino, XXL size tic tac toe are all available there. Traditional toys such as klepok (a wooden birdlike toy) or little hens on a ramp made by artisans do not only look good but also give children a lot of joy. The playground also features the Yurt of Cultural Nomads where can listen to incredible Tales from a suitcase or take part in stamping, crepe paper flower or wickerwork workshops. Around the Yurt we will also have workshops for families, including Folkspoke and  dance games conducted by Jacek Hałas. This year’s music programme is a special production of Workshops of Culture, the organizers of the Jagiellonian Fair. In concert Re: Tradition we will see masters of traditional music and singing, their students and artists known to wider public.

The idea for the concert has been inspired by the film project “Szlakiem Kolberga” (Eng.“Kolberg’s Trail) that enabled a meeting of different artists and turned music into a platform of dialogue and exchange. The concert will feature, among others, Tymon Tymański, Stanisława Galica-Górkiewicz, Adam Strug, Sławomir Czekalski, Czesław Mozil, Maria Siwiec, Agnieszka and Mateusz Niwiński, Krzesimir Dębski, Stanisław Głaz and Gaba Kulka.

The concert will be hosted by Agnieszka Obszańska from Polish Radio 3 and Jacek Hałas – musician and singer, animator. The Jagiellonian Fair stage will also showcase an artist with a unique voice and charisma – Joanna Słowińska with her band forming the project “Archipelag” (Archipelago). In this project, tradition combined with the energy of new technologies fuse together the songs of the eastern border, original compositions and traditional ritual songs. The small stage will feature Maarja Nuut – a fiddler and vocalist from northern Estonia. Her music combines traditional dance tunes, songs and tales with live electronic music to create multi-layered, soundscapes at the intersection of minimalism, experimental music and traditional village music.

Every day past 10:00pm we will be able to dance the night away to the tune of obereks, polkas, mazurkas and foxtrots. This year we will hear, among others, Jan Wochniak’s band with dance tunes from the Radom region, Kinaszewska Band/Strelniki playing traditional dance tunes from Mazovia and northern Małopolska and most of all we will hear the music of the legendary fiddler Tadeusz Jedynak from Przstałowice Małe or Goraj Brass Band. On top of that, the latter will be a topic of an exhibition put together by Towarzystwo dla Natury i Człowieka (Society for Nature and Man) and we will hold a meeting with the band.

Adult attendees are cordially invited to see Teatr Wierszalin’s play Wziołowstąpienie” (Herbascension) directed by Piotr Tomaszuk. It is a story about Podlasie, were “old beliefs” are still strong and where shamans and whisperers still practice their spells, even more powerful than elsewhere.

All events are free