Sheep farming: the folk craft and age-old culture of the Carpathians

"Oh sheep, my sheep, some black and some white,

Who will drive you along the holy Sunday?"

A merry band of curly-fleeced lambs jingles like a swirling stream down the mountain slopes. Devouring the young shoots of shrubs and the grassy cover, the brotherhood moves at a brisk pace from one pasture to another.

 

The Carpathians. Sheep

Black, white and spotted little creatures strictly observe the collective charter and move in a single direction.

 

The little bells tied around the necks of every member of the herd create a deafening cacophony, turning the rams into performers of a one-of-a-kind kolomyika.

 

If some inattentive one dawdles on a clearing, the shepherd dogs will unfailingly steer the disobedient stray back to the flock.

The four-legged helpers of the shepherds accompany the flock without pause, splendidly coping with the responsible task of keeping the livestock together and guarding the herd from predators.

 

The crunch of succulent grass and the brisk run, accompanied by bleating and snorting, give way to a rest and to silence. A sudden noise can disturb the drowsiness, and an anxious warning rumble rolls through the herd.

 

Some gazdas mark their favourites and tie red ribbons to the sheep's ears.

Despite the decline in the overall number of the cloven-hoofed, in the Carpathian land sheep herding remains a traditional craft of the highlanders.

From generation to generation, families pass down a love for the shepherding trade, and dynasties of shepherds are no rarity in the mountain country. Every day the shepherds walk dozens of kilometres along hillsides and copses together with the flock, are versed in veterinary and folk medicine, remember the customs, foresee the whims of the weather, milk the sheep and process the milk. Making bryndza is considered a true art, one that the shepherds have mastered to perfection.

 

A shepherd can only be a wise, fair and decent person. In honour of the members of this dangerous and honourable profession, monuments are raised and museum displays created. In the mountain villages the image of the beloved animal is used in folklore and mythology. On the staff with which the shepherd drives the sheep, it is written:

                                                 "Do not beat the sheep with a beech stick,

                                                  Jesus Christ carried a sheep in His arms.

                                                  And keep the beech for a long remembrance,

                                                  As a symbol of your labour."