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    Un-baa-lievable! Wannabe shepherds flock to Poland’s Tatras to help preserve tradition

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     05.03.2025, 12:30
    Photo by Omar Marques/Anadolu via Getty Images
    Shepherding in southern Poland is inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Photo by Omar Marques/Anadolu via Getty Images
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    Shepherding courses in Poland have surged in popularity, with a record 62 applicants hoping for a spot in classes specializing in traditional cheese-making and sheep care.

    The courses also attracted more women than normal, with six being accepted onto the often male-dominated course.

    The program offers training for shepherds (baca) and their assistants (juhas) to help preserve Poland’s pastoral heritage, with bacowanie—the traditional work of the baca—added to the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022.

    Students learn both the theory and practice of shepherding, including traditional sheep grazing, animal care, ‘oscypek’ [a traditional cheese] production and the legal and economic aspects of running a ‘shepherd’s hut’—the term for the place where the specialized cheese is kept.

    Project coordinator Sabina Cygan said that most of the interest had come from Poland’s southern Małopolska region and that anyone over 21 with a primary education could apply to become a juhas, though additional requirements must be met.
    Students learn about the theory and practice of, among other things, ‘oscypek’ [traditional cheese] production. Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
    Students learn about the theory and practice of, among other things, ‘oscypek’ [traditional cheese] production. Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
    She said: “A candidate from outside Małopolska will have to declare that he will make ‘oscypek’and graze sheep on the territory of Małopolska.

    “In addition, such an adept ‘juhas’ will need to find an experienced shepherd who will confirm his work in the region.”

    She added that the ‘baca’ course received 26 applications, while the ‘juhas’ course attracted 36. Due to budget constraints, 25 participants were selected for the ‘juhas’ course and 15 for the ‘baca’ course.
    #POLAND#CULTURE
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