As the days grow shorter and the nights colder, the leaves on the beech trees of the Beskidy Mountains turn from deep green to a vibrant reddish-brown, and frosts appear on the mountain meadows and clearings.
This is a signal to the shepherds and their flocks of sheep that it’s time to go home, or as Polish tradition calls the sheep trailing, ‘Redyk’.
After spending months of free grazing in the mountains, thousands of sheep are led by shepherds dressed in festive clothing down to the winter pens.
But, before reaching the larger towns where they have their homesteads, they have to walk through mountains and valleys struggling against the cold, rain and muddy roads.
As they finally near the end of their journey, the shepherds are often accompanied by local folk musicians and crowds of onlookers who gather to watch the woolly waves of sheep passing through the mountain towns of Podhale in southern Poland.
In the past, when sheep grazing was more popular, the spring and autumn sheep migrations lasted for weeks, and shepherds, along with their flocks, traveled hundreds of kilometers across the entire Carpathian range.
It was a tough way to make a living, and it still is today, if not even harder. But the tradition is important for the region and is still a way of life for many families in Poland’s south.
It's from the milk of these sheep that a traditional Oscypek is made, a smoked cheese, which has been registered under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin.
Made by the shepherds themself in the mountain huts this smoked cheese is beloved by many, especially when paired with cranberry jam.
Longest Redyk in Poland
The longest Redyk is led by ‘Baca’ Józef Klimowski, a traditional Polish Carpathian Mountains shepherd.
He has been herding sheep on the meadows and fields of the Beskidy mountains in southern Poland for over 40 years.
To the sound of bells around the sheep's necks, he traverses the misty forests of the Beskidy mountains each year, sleeping under the stars, always ready to defend his sheep from wild animals.
He is assisted by several other shepherds, traditionally called ‘Juhas’, who take turns keeping watch at night and guarding the flock during the day to prevent it from scattering.
And so, for six days and nights, they travel, finally seeing their family home after six months in the wilderness.
And then they wait for spring to arrive and to head back to the mountain pastures with their flocks, in a Carpathian tradition that will not fade and will continue as an inseparable part of local heritage.
All the pictures used in the article due to a courtesy of
Krystian Kiwacz 
