Culture, customs and traditions

The Carpathian region is also rich in folk crafts. In addition to souvenir markets, there is a weekly “night” embroidery market in Kolomyia, which sells embroidered towels, shirts and related products for Ukrainian folk clothes to suit every taste and budget.

In general, the most popular products at souvenir markets and shops are:

• exquisite handmade embroidered shirts;
• braided socks and gloves made of natural wool;
• warm blankets;
• homemade earthenware;
• dried mushrooms and berries;
• homemade tinctures and liqueurs.

For those interested in colour and gastronomic traditions, the Carpathian Cultural Trail offers meetings with craftsmen and master classes in leather processing, pottery, quilt making, woodworking, embroidery and Easter egg making, and other traditional Carpathian crafts, as well as tastings of craft products and local cuisine.

The Carpathian region is also rich in cheese-making traditions – in addition to the traditional Carpathian cheese, cottage cheese and urda, other “European” cheeses are produced from environmentally friendly goat, cow and sheep milk. A special and extremely healthy Carpathian fermented milk product is guslyanka.