Flocks of Polish Sheep Return From Summer Vacation

Hundreds of sheep triumphantly entered the small Polish town of Istebna last weekend as locals celebrated their return from mountain pastures after a long summer, dressed in traditional costumes to cheer the herds. Every year, Istebna turns into a festival of agricultural traditions as sheep are assigned to the shepherds that will take care of them over the winter. Located in the Beskidy Mountains in southern Poland and known for little else than their traditional lace production and way of sheep farming, the small isolated town of Istebna attracts many visitors as well as the locals for the festive return of the sheep, who push one another under the sound of the “trembita”, a 13-foot-long horn, which used to warn locals about bandits and raiders. Henryk Kukuczka has dozens of sheep and is a true defender of traditional breeding along with cheese and wool production.