NOWY SACZ

The Sacz region in Poland has been marked mainly by its trade industry. The region lies in the heart of former trade routes between Poland and the Czech and Hungarian regions. The richness of the soil in this area also attracted settlers as far back as 4000 B.C.E. Over the centuries German settlers and the Ruthenians from the region of Volhinya to the south-east established villages in the area. This richness of influences and traded goods allowed the people of this part of the country to design elaborate costumes with intricate embroidery and a variety of features borrowed from neighbouring regions. One of the most visible of these is the 'Parzenice'; a wide leather belt on a man's costume which is typical of the Goral people in the mountainous region of Poland. The dances presented here feature some of the characteristic elements of the region including an all-male dance designed to impress the women.The men wear navy blue long coats, which are heavily embroidered with a floral motif. On the front of the pants are large, special embroidered patterns called parzenice. The white linen shirts are embroidered and are tucked into a large, elaborately tooled leather belt with many brass buckles. Their hats are decorated with flowers or ribbons.The women wear navy blue jackets with the same embroidered floral motif in mind. Their skirts are red and have black embroidery on the bottom. The aprons, worn overtop of the skirt, are black aprons that include needlework on it. Their white blouses and scarves are embroidered as well, and they also wear red coral necklaces.