Christmas Crib Competition!
Thursday will see one of Cracow's best-loved Christmas traditions come to life. Over the last few days, artistic Cracovians of all ages have been putting the final touches on their 'szopki' (Christmas Cribs).
These colourful constructions resemble something out of a Slavic Fairy tale. However, if you look closely, you'll be able to recognize echoes of Cracovian architecture in the designs, particularly the spires of St. Mary's and Wawel Cathedral.
Normally, entrants line up their creations on the ledges of the Mickiewicz statue on the eastern half of the square, but this year the creches will be displayed at the foot of the town hall tower, as renovation works are still winding up on the eastern side of the plaza.
They may be rather garish things, but there's no denying the sheer ingenuity and passion that go into the scenes. We're talking well over a hundred hours per crib!
The tradition goes back many generations to the time when masons sold cribs to well-to-do families to make a little extra cash for Christmas. (If snow was falling outside, all normal building projects were stalled!). The competition was begun 60 years ago in order to keep the custom alive, and nowadays the cribs are not made of wood but card.
The cribs will be revealed at 10am, Thursday morning, and by lunchtime they will have been spirited away to the Cracow History Museum on the other side of the square (No. 35). There they'll be judged, and the winning designs will be put on show until mid-February.
66th 'Szopki' Competition: Thursday 7th December
Town Hall Tower, Main Market Square - 10am