Kulig (sleigh rides) is an old Polish winter tradition dating back to the days of the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

(nobility). The kulig was a

sleigh A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...

ride party organized among the Polish aristocracy. A cavalcade of horse-pulled sleighs and sleds went from one manor house to another, entertained everywhere with hearty meals followed by dancing. Such a sleigh ride could last up to a dozen days. The sleigh ride usually began with the distribution of a spherically curved stick, called a “crutch,” among the participants. This was the signal to gather. People got on horses or deployed in sleighs and were driven to an agreed place. Nowadays Kulig rides are a popular tourist attraction in the Polish Tatra mountains, advertised and practiced in places such as

Zakopane Zakopane (Gorals#Language, Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has ...

References

External links

Kulig - old Polish winter tradition
at ''Polish News'', 2002. Retrieved December 13, 2012. {{Poland-stub Polish traditions