Carpathian sheep farmers graze sheep in the valleys located at an altitude of 1600 and more meters above the sea level (PHOTOS)

From May to September, in the Carpathians, shepherds will be grazing flocks in mountain valleys, the Depo.Zakarpattya informs. All that is associated with this activity – from send-off, grazing, cheese making to the return – is based on ingrained century-old traditions. 

Each year, mass celebrations in honor of sending off sheep up the mountains are arranged in Transcarpathia. Celebration of this day is a tradition. In every village, sheep and goats from all the community are herded into a large flock and sent up the mountains. In order to feed a large flock of sheep, they must climb high to the mountains, because there are not enough pastures in the lowlands.

Sheep farming is one of the oldest professions in the Carpathians. Shepherds must be able to get along together, physically strong and healthy, and it guarantees that they are able to cope with the hard work in difficult climatic and living conditions. Shepherds received remuneration both in kind and in cash. The leader and senior shepherds, in addition, every month received a pair of boots and right to graze their animals for free.

Carpathian sheep farmers graze sheep throughout the summer high in the mountains at an altitude of 1600 or more meters above the sea level. The distance to some valleys is tens of kilometers, and they have to herd the flock almost all day. Shepherds stay in pastures until late September. They live and make sheep cheese (brynza) there.

Dogs help shepherds to graze sheep.  They fend off wolf packs.

Every day, shepherds walk three, and even more tens of kilometers in pastures. Not to mention the daily manual milking, three times a day, the first of which begins before sunrise. 

Shepherds’ working day begins at 3 am. One shepherd herds the sheep, others milk them. Fresh milk is filtered, it will be used to make brynza and vurda. Milking process takes 1.5-2 hours. Each sheep gives very little milk – up to 250-350 grams at a time. Milking takes place three times a day.

Brynza and vurda are the sheep cheese varieties. They differ in color, taste, structure and method of making. Brynza making is a real art. Fresh sheep milk is poured into large vats, and then a starter is added. It is a special enzyme which is extracted from the stomach of a lamb that has not eaten fresh grass – only milk. Then they put vats on fire and cook the milk stirring it with a special wooden stick.

Fresh cheese heads (10-15 kg each) are hanged to let the water run out. This is how brynza is made.

The serum, remaining in the vat, is poured into a huge pot and put on a low fire. Thus, another delicious cheese product – vurda – is made.

In honor of the return of shepherds, a colorful festival "Hutsul bryndzya" is arranged in Rakhiv. Although, every village or town, where people are engaged in sheep farming, have their own customs and traditions of send-off, waiting and return of shepherds with flocks.

Based on articles of the Holos Karpat, agrokraina, kolochava, igormelika.