How Noc Kupały Keeps Slavic Traditions Alive in Kraków

Every year, locals in Kraków gather at the Zakrzówek cliffs to celebrate Noc Kupały (Kupala Night), the ancient Slavic festival of the summer solstice.

This celebration is a chance to revive ancient pagan traditions, with people jumping and dancing around bonfires and throwing flower wreaths into the water (Wianki). These rituals continue throughout the whole night making a Slavic atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else.

This year, I had the chance to celebrate it for the first time at Zakrzówek Park with hundreds of other people, and it completely blew my mind.