Polish 2

The song ‘uOrawa’ comes from a historical region known as Orava which encompasses 3 districts of Slovakia in Žilina region (Dolný Kubín, Tvrdošín, and Námestovo) and eastern part of Nowy Targ county in Poland (Jabłonka commune). ‘uOrawa’ song is a part of oral tradition of this region’s music, that is why the date of its composition remains unknown. It is sung in Oravian dialect of Polish which is characterised by different vocabulary and phonetic changes in comparison to Standard Polish.

The song is traditionally performed during village gatherings along with other songs, where people usually dance and sing, accompanied by the sound of fiddles and heligonka - a traditional Oravian accordion. The song is about a bridge that has been built over Orava river in order to make it easier to travel and commute between the villages of Orava and Liptov.